


Skywalker Rises - A Post-TROS Story

by monstertam3r



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Darksaber, F/M, Fix-It, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Lightsabers, Star Wars References, The Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 48
Words: 50,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22117300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monstertam3r/pseuds/monstertam3r
Summary: Ben & Rey's story after TROSThis story contains plenty of spoilers from Episode IX, and a few from the Mandalorian.These are not my characters or world.
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, dyad - Relationship
Comments: 91
Kudos: 344





	1. A Meeting of Ghosts

"She needs a teacher," said Luke.

"You?" said Leia. "Are you volunteering to cross over and teach her?"

"I didn't do well with her last time I tried, while alive," said Luke. "Besides, I'm still not convinced Jedi are necessary, and I'm certain future Jedi will fail, just as we did. The Force will move through the galaxy as it wills. Why must Jedi control it? And it took a lot out of me when I met her on Ahch-To. Raising that old X-Wing was harder than I remembered."

"Easier it was in the swamp," said Yoda, chuckling.

He reached out with his cane and tapped Luke on the forehead.

"Why teach her at all?" said Anakin.

"She must learn," said Leia. "She is all that's left. If we don't teach her, how will she teach others? I was pleased with her progress before I came here. With guidance, Rey will become an excellent teacher."

"The next Cala Brin, she will be," said Yoda.

Luke sighed. "So you are convinced that the best course of action is to burden her with continuing the Jedi? She deserves to be free to live her life without setting her such an impossible task."

"It was difficult for you," said Obi-Wan to Luke. "You allowed your failures to dictate your future. Rey is not like you."

"She nearly gave up and resigned herself to a hermit's life on Ahch-To, just as I did," said Luke. "She and I are more alike than I care to admit."

"She tried to destroy your old lightsaber," said Anakin.

"It was your old lightsaber, too," said Luke. "And she didn't burn it, even though she clearly wanted to."

"I approve of what she did with it," said Leia.

"She's going to have to dig those back up if she plans on training more students," said Luke. "Unless wherever she got that gold kybur crystal from has more. Ilum is gone."

Yoda shook his head. "Sad, it is. Such beautiful caves, destroyed."

Ben watched this back and forth with a mixture of exasperation and hope. They had not yet taught him how to cross back over into the living realms. He hesitated to appear too eager to learn the skill. Even though he had left Kylo Ren behind, his list of wrongs could not be so easily forgotten. How long would it take them to trust him? Even his mother seemed reluctant. He had become one with the Force and the Force had acknowledged his sacrifice. It should be enough.

Ben took great care not argue with his elders. Kylo Ren would have raged and demanded, taken and threatened. He knew now that those methods, while immediately effective, did not produce any long-term gains. So he sat, and watched, and waited.

They lived as pale imitations of their formal corporeal selves. He had no idea how he had become a ghost, and none of the others seemed to know, either. But Anakin was here, so apparently personal merit wasn't factored into the universe, or the Force, or whatever's decision. He figured it was an even toss between who had done more harm whilst alive - Darth Vader or Kylo Ren.

"I suggest Yoda teach her from the ancient texts," said Luke. "But take care. Some of that doctrine is antiquated. It needs grow if the Jedi are to flourish."

"Teach her, I will," said Yoda.

"And what of the lightsaber?" said Anakin. "Luke will not teach her, and the rest of us are sorely out of practice."

Ben held his breath and tried to look as disinterested as possible, schooling his face into a flat mask of boredom. It wasn't a stretch, considering his current circumstances. He was the best equipped to teach Rey to fight. He wasn't sure if any of them suspected his feelings for her. Leia probably did. Relationships for the Jedi were forbidden, since they could lead to feelings which allowed the dark side to flourish. Would Yoda teach Rey she wasn't allowed to have any kind of romantic relationships? The uncharitable part of his character, which had crossed over into his ghost form along with the rest of him, hoped Yoda would order her to follow the Jedi teachings exactly as written.

He shook himself, knowing he sounded like a whinging child. Rey deserved to be happy. Kylo Ren would have said, 'If I can't have her, no one can.' But he was not Kylo Ren anymore. He had made his choice, and given his life for her. But still. Would he be able to cross over and watch her with someone else? His stomach clenched. He'd deal with that when it happened.

"Ben should teach her," said Leia. "He is most experienced."

Ben's head snapped up in surprise. His mother's steady gaze was on him, weighing and measuring.

The others turned to look at him. Their scrutiny was palpable. Luke wore a frown, and Anakin's eyebrows were raised in surprise.

Obi-Wan, the next most likely candidate for the role, shrugged. "If Rey approves, I have no objections. But she must agree to be taught, and to our suggested teachers."

The rest of them nodded. Though his ghost form had no substance, Ben felt lighter than he had since his death. He would get to see her again! He would be able to talk to her. It wasn't enough, but it was something - far more than he could have hoped for.

"I will teach Ben to cross over," said Anakin.

Finally! Ben had waited for this moment. He would be free of this other-world, this world of ghosts and phantasms, and back in the gloriously colored, living world. To see color again! He liked black well enough, but the grayscale of his current existence grated on him.

Anakin stood and gestured for Ben to follow. In a blink, the others were gone. Anakin had brought him to a round, shimmering window of light.

"Step into the portal, all the while keeping the person or location you wish to appear to in mind," said Anakin. "You must concentrate. If you lose focus, you will fade from the living world. It takes immense amounts of willpower to appear to the living. It takes even more to interact with them in any real way."

"I understand," said Ben, who had to work hard to keep from fidgeting in his excitement. He was going to see her!

"Also," said Anakin, "it hurts."


	2. Direction

Coruscant's library was filled with enough books to occupy hundreds of lifetimes of reading. Rey didn't have time to scratch the surface of all of the topics she needed information on. The librarian droid whizzed around the corner and through the door, a two foot stack of tomes in its outstretched arms, and dropped them onto her work table. Poe had procured her a private research room. The work table was covered in books and papers. Stacks sat on the floor, and on every available chair.

She didn't trust the electronic versions in the archives. The subjects she researched were prone to editing, censorship, and flat out deletion. She had fiddled with the librarian droid's programming, removing the tracking commands. If anyone wanted to know what she was looking at, they weren't going to use the droid's surveillance to find it. They'd have to walk into this room and sort through the heaps of books she'd requested. 

"Next?" said the droid. 

Rey rubbed her forehead, trying to ease away the tension headache. Part of her problem was posing her queries in a way that the droid could process. Her poorly worded request for books concerning 'Force Healing used for resurrection' had returned her books on metallurgy, the life cycle of desert flora, and a stack of loosely bound documents regarding the incident of Mara Jade Skywalker and her death at the hands of Jacen Solo. And of course, Mara had worked for Palpatine. These families were so mixed up she wasn't sure she'd ever untangle the mess.

"Bring me anything you can find on Palpatine," said Rey, absently staring at the newest stack on her desk. My grandfather, she thought. She still couldn't quite accept that fact.

The droid's fans whirred in agitation, and it left the room, came back in, left, and entered again.

"Please rephrase your request," said the droid. "The volume of texts requested cannot physically fit within this space." 

"Early life and senatorial career," said Rey. 

The droid brought a manageable handful of texts, and as she read, she became more and more queasy. 

Sheev Palpatine hadn't taken long to develop into a sociopathic megalomaniac. Rey felt pity for him when she finished her reading. Sheev's father had been a monster, and had fathered a monster in turn. That seemed to be the trend. Sheev had turned to the dark side early as Darth Sidious. He'd killed his entire family and his dark master. She couldn't find anything about her grandmother or parents. A woman had actually slept with that awful man at least once. Rey shivered in disgust. His deathly white, deranged face as she had seen it on Exegol still haunted her dreams. 

Palpatines, Skywalkers, and Solos seemed to have trouble remaining on the light side of the Force. Great. Just great. Of course, most of them were men. Female Jedi were few and far between. Leia had remained true, never giving into the lust for power the dark side offered. 

I better not judge too harshly, she thought. I was willing to let all of those slimy Sith lords into me. For a good reason. But of course her predecessors likely also had good reasons. At least from their point of view. 

And now she was alone. Poe and Finn were willing to talk to her about anything, but it felt awkward. She still hadn't told them in detail about what had happened on Exegol, in that miserable Sith den. 'I was dead, guys. Actually, clinically dead. And I was resurrected by one of your favorite people. Who, by the way, appears to have sacrificed his very life to make it happen. Any questions?'

She laughed out loud at the absurdity of it.

"Next?" said the droid, poking its head through the doorway. It remained stationed outside, available for her every beck and call. 

"Don't light any candles in here," said Poe, joining the droid in the doorway.

"The librarians already lectured me about the danger of fires in the library," said Rey. "And the droid is programmed to spray pressurized nitrogen at the barest hint of smoke."

"What are you looking for?" said Poe, gesturing at the mess she'd made.

"Some kind of direction."

"In old books?" Poe didn't bother to hide his skepticism.

Rey snorted. "Since all of the old people these old books are about are long dead, yes. It's a place to start, anyway. Do you have a better idea?"

"Take a break and come to dinner."

Rey looked at her stacks and tried not to feel overwhelmed. This method wasn't getting her anywhere. But what could she do? 

"Fine. Droid, keep snoopers out." 

The librarian droid cocked its triangular head. "I am programmed to locate and retrieve texts."

"If anyone decides to locate and retrieve a text from this room, send them away," said Rey.

The droid moved to stand in front of the doorway after she exited. Good enough. 

"You're checking out the most sought-after titles, I take it?" said Poe. 

"Oh yes, only the bestsellers. Books about villains of the dark side and plants of the desert. Real page turners."

Locating books about the Force had been a huge disappointment. Aside from the books she had taken from the Jedi temple on Ahch-To, she hadn't found anything else in the library. Censored? Destroyed? Hidden? Or just never present in the first place? She had found several texts about the Mandalorians, who resembled the Jedi in some ways. The history between the Jedi and Mandalorians was fraught with strife and death. Just like the Jedi history with everyone. Rey pushed that thought down. There wasn't anything to be gained from it. 

"Do you think we still have enemies out there?" said Rey.

Poe stopped walking and stared at her. "You aren't seriously asking me that, are you?"

She felt stupid. Of course they had enemies. There were always enemies. But were they enemies who required Jedi intervention? Enemies she would have to face as the token galaxy Jedi?

"Yes, General, I'm seriously asking." 

Poe started walking again. "Let's hope they stay away for a good long time. Now hurry up, I'm hungry." 

She jogged to catch up with him.


	3. When Dinner Goes Sideways

Rey sat beside Poe and across from Finn. At the table were a variety of rich politicians, business men, and planetary leaders who had come crawling out of the woodwork after the defeat of the First Order. Finn raised an eyebrow at her and grinned. She relaxed her face. She'd been scowling at the lot of them and not even realized it. While many of them were worthless, a few had sent ships to reinforce the Resistance attack on Exegol. Her friends would all be dead if they hadn't.

Poe had asked her to learn their names, but so far she'd spent too much time in the library, absorbed in her own research and problems. These people had legitimate, galaxy shifting responsibilities. They were trying, yet again, to establish some kind of democratic system of governance. 

The man beside Finn turned his attention toward Rey. She put a spoonful of soup in her mouth and made eye contact. Never make eye contact with a predator. She had forgotten, again, that these diplomats in their nice clothing and bland smiles were dangerous in their own right, Force or not. 

"When can we expect a restored and fully functioning Jedi Order, Miss Skywalker?" said the man. 

Rey blinked. She hadn't expected them to just launch right into it so early. It hadn't been three full months yet since the First Order nearly took control of the entire galaxy. She kicked Poe under the table, and put her spoon down.

Poe grunted and cleared his throat. "That's an excellent question, Minister Vandor," said Poe.

"Not anytime soon," Rey said, cutting Poe off. 

"Rey is alone," said Finn, stepping in as always to smooth over Rey's gaffe. Rey focused on Finn, directed all of her concentration on his face. She knew she was turning red, flushing with embarrassment.

"Are not all of us alone?" said Vandor. "The leadership vacuum is vast. And yet we preserve. You, my dear, must step into your new role. We must have Jedi."

"I've been reading quite a bit these past few months," said Rey.

Vandor smiled, though the comment had caught him off guard. "Oh?"

"Mhm," said Rey. "Have you read much of recent history, Mr. Vandor?"

Finn shifted in his chair and shot Rey the 'shut up now' look. She ignored it.

"I am familiar with events of the past few centuries," said Vandor.

"Do you trust me not to call lightning and fry you where you sit?" said Rey.

Vandor sputtered. The non-sequitur had tripped him up. His inane politician's face finally slid away. Rey put another spoon full of soup in her mouth. Poe rubbed his face with both hands. This dinner had gone sideways, fast. She should have anticipated the expectation - it was, after all, how business had always been done.

"We are all perfectly safe, Minister," said Poe.

"That's the thing, though, isn't it?" said Rey. "You have no idea if we are or not. You trust me because I defeated your enemy. But who's to say I'm not worse? Remember your history. I am Palpatine's blood, after all."

Rey saluted him with her soup spoon and took another bite. This planet was starting to grate on her. She had never in her life intentionally provoked people. But after standing in front of Palpatine in a theatre surrounded by Sith, having an overpowered villain demand that she act as he willed, Rey wasn't so inclined to step in line when another powerful man tried to force her to act as he saw fit. 

"We know you," said Finn. "You aren't like them. Like Palpatine and Kylo Ren and Darth Vader."

I am the heiress of darkness and chaos, by blood and by right, thought Rey. Except my masters are dead now. What I wouldn't give for Luke or Leia's guidance. No one ever talked about after. And now I'm here, alone. Maybe that's my lot in life. At least I'm used to it. 

Could she really stay in this city and watch her friends move forward with their lives, and stand ever apart, ever outside, separated by a power that she barely understood? 

"There are others," said Finn. 

Rey's eyes grew wide in alarm until she realized he was talking in a general sense, not that he suspected Palpatine had fathered other children with too much power and an inclination toward the dark side. 

"Of course I'll help them," said Rey. "What else can I do? But I'm not sure how to train them." She turned her attention back to Vandor. She realized that every other person at the table was leaning in to listen to her speak. "I am the last of the Jedi. I cannot tell you what the future will bring. But I can tell you what it won't bring. The Jedi will not interact in any way, shape, or form with your new government. We will not hold political office or align ourselves with certain political factions. The Jedi are done interfering in politics. If you need enforcers, look elsewhere." 

Vandor nodded begrudgingly. "That's a disappointment." 

Rey couldn't help herself. She laughed. "It's not as disappointing as having a Force user turned to the dark side within your government cause galaxy-wide chaos and destroy entire planets." 

"I suppose not," said Vandor. He sounded like he might be willing to risk it for help in the short-term. One diplomat had the presence of mind to chuckle.

Poe leaned over and spoke softly, just to her. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

Rey glanced up at Finn, who was frowning at her. A shimmer in the air behind him caught her attention, and she glanced up to see Yoda and another man she didn't recognize. Their ghost forms were translucent white but clear. Rey shoved back out of her seat and stood, nearly tipping her soup into Poe's lap. 

"Rey?" said Finn. He looked behind him, where her focus was, and stood. 

"This way," said the man with Yoda, and motioned both Rey and Finn to follow them. 

Finn shot Rey a panicked look, but followed the pair out of the room, Rey right behind him.

"Startled, you are," said Yoda to Finn. 

Finn just stared.

"I didn't know you could speak," said Rey. 

She'd seen Luke and Leia's ghosts on Tatooine, but had convinced herself that it could have been a play of the light in the setting suns, or her imagination. 

"We can speak," said the other man. "For at time. Come, we have much to discuss."


	4. A Start

Finn turned to Rey as soon as they were out in the hallway. "You're seeing and hearing this too, right?"

"Crazy, you are not," said Yoda.

Rey could have sworn his eyes twinkled. She sucked in a sharp breath, and looked between the ghosts, connecting some memories and mysteries from the past. Their voices were familiar.

"You've both spoken to me in the past. I didn't just imagine it."

"We have," said the man. "I am Obi-Wan. And this is Yoda. We were Jedi masters." 

Rey had read plenty about both of them. They were legends. 

"We have a few questions," said Obi-Wan.

"So do we," said Finn.

"How can you see them?" said Rey to Finn.

"Would you like to tell her?" said Obi-Wan.

Finn grimaced. "I tried to tell you before. I think I have some Force. Not like you, but a little."

"Felt it, you did," said Yoda. "When Rey died."

"WHAT?!" said Finn. He rounded on Rey. "You died?!"

"I'm not dead now," said Rey, wishing she had had the energy to talk through everything with them. She shrugged. 

"You are alive because Ben Solo gave his life for yours," said Obi-Wan.

Rey hadn't thought about it in such bald terms. It remained a raw, open wound that refused to heal. Even now, tears spilled down her cheeks. She had cried enough to fill a river in the confines of her little library workroom. 

"I know, young one," said Obi-Wan. "It is to your credit that you feel his loss so keenly. The new Jedi you train, and the galaxy, will benefit from your nature."

"Wait," said Finn. 

Finn looked like he wanted to continue, but he was opening and closing his mouth in search for words to describe his confusion. He reached up and brushed the tears off of Rey's cheeks with the backs of his fingers. Rey wasn't sure if she could convince Finn that in the end, in her last thirty seconds with him, Ben had been just Ben. Not Kylo Ren. 

Obi-Wan seemed to understand the situation. Perhaps ghosts had more knowledge than the living. 

"Kylo Ren died on Kef Bir. Ben Solo died on Exegol, to restore Rey's life. She did not survive her successful destruction of the Sith. Ben chose willingly. He knew it would result in his death."

"Is that normal?" said Finn. "Raising the dead?" He looked uncomfortable.

Obi-Wan and Yoda engaged in some kind of long, silent communication. Rey wondered if they could read each other's minds. Maybe they could read hers. 

"Normal, it is not," said Yoda. "Possible, though, yes. Mhm."

"Darth Sidious practiced raising the dead and manipulating and taking life forces using the Force," said Obi-Wan. "But he did not give of himself to accomplish it. He took from others. We previously thought it a skill obtained by using the dark side. But Ben could not have done so. The other possibility is that due to their dyad relationship, the exchange was possible in a way it would not have been for anyone else, in any other circumstance."

"So, Kylo Ren was a good guy then?" said Finn.

"No," said Rey, finally recovering her composure. "Certainly not. But he and Ben were not, are not, the same person."

"That's...complicated," said Finn.

"Complicated, it is," said Yoda. "But true." 

"You want to ask me about it," said Rey. "That's why you're here." 

Yoda nodded. 

"I don't remember being healed," said Rey. "I was dead. And then I wasn't. And then Ben died."

"Consider the dyad, we must," said Yoda to Obi-Wan. 

"They want me to train new Jedi," said Rey, motioning back to the room full of stuffy dignitaries. "I don't think I can. But you're here. Can you train them? The other Force users?"

"No," said Obi-Wan. "Our time here is limited. We come to give advice. To give what little guidance we can. In the past, we have been permitted to cross over rarely. If you agree, Rey, we suggest two teachers for your consideration. Master Yoda, on the ways of the Jedi, and Ben Solo, on a more controlled use of the Force. Do you approve of these masters?"

"What?" said Rey, and though she meant to sound confident, it came out as a whisper.

"They are the strongest," said Obi-Wan, likely misinterpreting her response as a lack of enthusiasm. "These appearances to the living are difficult. Yoda has centuries of experience with the Force, and his crossings are easier than the rest of us. And we believe your dyad bond with Ben will aid him in sustaining his presence long enough to teach you what you need."

"Yes," said Rey. "I accept. It's fine. Please. Yes."

A faint buzzing had begun in her ears. Ben. She would see him again. Talk to him. The last conversation they had had, if it could be called that, happened in the middle of a storm tossed sea, and they were trying to kill each other. She had nearly succeeded.

"Back to Ahch-To, you must go," said Yoda. "To learn, and to teach. Students will come when you are ready."

Ben. The tight knot of grief in her chest unspooled a bit, and she took a few deep breaths.

"So, recap," said Finn. "Rey is going to be the new Jedi general, and you dead Jedi are going to teach her how to teach the others, who will just show up when it's time."

"Teach you, she will," said Yoda.

"Go to Ahch-To," said Obi-Wan to Rey.

Then Yoda and Obi-Wan vanished.

"Good talk!" said Finn into the now empty corridor. "Was that helpful? I mean, 'go to this remote planet and some dead guys will show up and help you,' doesn't seem all that helpful."

Rey slid down the wall and leaned her head against the cool marble.

"It's OK," she said. "It's a start, and they said they would help more."

"Do you really trust Kylo," said Finn, but cut off at her raised eyebrows, "I mean, Ben?"

Rey smiled. The first genuinely, carefree smile in months. "Ben is," she cut off, fishing around for words that wouldn't freak Finn out. Then she abandoned the effort. How could she explain what he was to her when she wasn't even sure herself? "I trust him explicitly." 

"OK," said Finn. "And I trust you."


	5. Of Pain and Justice

Ben had thought a lot about his grandfather throughout his life. He now knew that the voice he heard speaking to him as Darth Vader was Palpatine. So meeting Anakin in person, or in ghost, was a shock. As with most things, the idea of the man didn't match up to the reality. Nothing of Darth Vader remained. Anakin was introspective and pensive. He rarely spoke, and when he did, it was brief and blunt.

Anakin had told him that crossing over into the living world was painful. Pain was nothing to Ben, and so he had prepared himself for physical discomfort. He was accustomed to pain, and prided himself on his high tolerance. Suffering from pain was for lesser men, for weaker men. He had been burned, shot, cut, crushed, skewered, to name a few. When he shared these thoughts with Anakin, the man had laughed, gripped him by the shoulders, and shoved him through the portal. 

"I'll give you twenty seconds," Anakin had said before the vortex of the portal had swallowed Ben whole. 

Ten seconds later, Ben had tumbled back out of the portal, gasping and dry heaving, trying his best not to totally collapse from his position on hands and knees. Had he been a physical being, he was sure that his stomach would be empty. Now, just the pain of the act remained. 

"What the hell," he finally gasped out. 

When the dry heaving was under control, he dragged himself to his feet, though he couldn't yet stand up straight. He resisted the urge to swipe the non-existent snot and tears from his face. He felt them, but knew they weren't there.

"For those such as us, the cross over is excruciating," said Anakin. 

"And that's why you so rarely do it," said Ben. "And why nobody got too upset when I was volunteered for this duty." 

Anakin nodded. "Do you understand now, fully, what this will require of you? How badly do you want to see this woman?"

Ben had never wanted to cry more than he did now. He had learned long ago that there was no fairness, no justice, in the galaxy. But in this afterlife of an existence, the Force demanded justice. It shoved it right in his face and made it impossible to breathe it was so close. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" said Anakin. 

Ben snorted. "You've been spending too much time with my mother. You're staring to pick up her lexicon. I bet you never once said that whilst alive. I sure as hell never did."

"I told you it would take an incredible amount of willpower. I won't lie to you. Are you ready to try again?"

"How long will it last?" said Ben.

Anakin shrugged. "Minutes for each event. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. It depends on you."

Ben pressed his palms into his temples. This would happen every time. He gritted his teeth and straightened his spine. 

"What depends on me?"

"I cannot explain it well. For obvious reasons, I have been hesitant to conduct repeat tests. Sometimes, I am released after three or four events. Sometimes, I make it to six and give up. Depending on the event, I might quit after one."

Darth Vader, quit? 

No. Not Darth Vader any more. And yet, this separation from the living and the dead certainly had not forgotten who they were.

To that portal, he was Kylo Ren. And Kylo Ren was evil and deserved to be punished. Repeatedly.

After three times in, he had made it through a single event, a span of just minutes. And he understood what was expected of him. He had occasionally questioned his sanity while he was alive. But he was fairly sure he would not remain sane in this place of death if he passed too many times through the portal.

"How long will I be able to stay on the other side?" he asked an irritatingly not-at-all sympathetic looking Anakin.

Another shrug. Kylo Ren would have Force Choked this man a half an hour ago. 

"I have been granted minutes," said Anakin.

"I can't do what I need to do in minutes," said Ben. 

"Then you will have to learn how to satisfy the portal, and pass through it many times." 

"How long can Yoda stay on the other side?"

"The longest has been about half an hour."

Half an hour. He could see Rey for half an hour if he satisfied the portal. Of course, he wasn't Yoda. He doubted Yoda had committed even a single atrocity in his long life. Kylo Ren had racked up hundreds in his few decades. Maybe thousands.

"Ben," said Anakin quietly. "Do you truly understand what the portal is asking?"

"Yes, grandfather. I understand. I just don't know if I can give it."

"You must."

"I must. Yes. But I cannot use the Force in there. I cannot fight it with my lightsaber. I'm helpless."

Anakin nodded. "Yoda will be pleased with your understanding. You would have been an excellent Jedi master. You will be still. We spent most of our lives running from helplessness. Now we are nothing but, at the mercy of the Force." 

Ben knew better than to focus on how difficult this task would be. There was nothing to gain from it. He wanted to see Rey. More than he wanted to maintain his pride. 

The portal returned him to past events. Events where he had harmed, humiliated, or destroyed others. But instead of acting those events out himself, he was placed into the mind and body of his victim. He lived their pain and terror. He saw the consequences of his actions - both in the moment and the vast ripples they triggered across the galaxy. He was required to face the horror of his actions. He was required to repent. If the portal found his repentance lacking, he was flung back into the world of the dead, the physical and emotional trauma still fresh on his body. If he couldn't tolerate the physical or emotional pain, he was flung back out again, only to face the same event when he next entered. Without the dark side, he was exposed and raw. Fragile.

It was excruciating. And as he failed, and failed, and failed again, his hopes of seeing Rey began to dim. No power in the world could protect him from himself.


	6. Simple Steps

"I wish you would stay," said Poe. "I need you."

"You do not," said Rey, as she stuffed what little clothing she had into a bag. "The only thing I've ever done for you is distract your dinner guests from the real work and scare people a little."

"I like it when you're here. You're easy to talk to."

Rey arched an eyebrow. "Finn and Rose are here. They're super easy to talk to."

"Fine, yes. They are. But they're always together."

"I can't believe you even have time to have this conversation. Or to think about socializing. Don't you have a government to build?"

"About that. Why me? I'm a soldier." Rey felt bad for him. It would have been her fate, too, if she hadn't refused. If she hadn't had the power to refuse. People saw them as leaders, whether they wanted it or not. No one seemed to consider ability or aptitude. They just assumed it was there.

"You'll do great. I have faith in you. Also, you need to stay so somebody can bring Finn to Ahch-To when it's time. You'll come, right?"

"I'll come. And I'll bring the Falcon."

She hugged him. "Thanks, Poe."

"How long until you need Finn?"

"I have no idea. Months? Years?"

"You can't stay on that island alone for years."

"Why not? And I won't be alone. BB-8 is coming with me. And Yoda and Ben will teach me."

"A Droid and two dead guys is hardly company."

I don't know about that, thought Rey. One of those dead guys in particular seemed like he would be amazing company, ghost or not. The litany of 'I get to see him!' had become a steady pulse, ever present in the background of her mind.

Poe still hadn't quite come to terms with the idea of Ben Solo. He wasn't as willing to trust Rey as Finn was. Skepticism was probably a good trait in a man who had to decide which power hungry people should make decisions that would affect the entire galaxy.

Poe walked her to the hanger, where she loaded BB-8 and her belongings into Luke's old X-wing. Taking a starfighter to training struck her as funny. Both Yoda and Ben had been excellent pilots. Maybe their ghosts could join her for a flight around the planet. 

The flight to Ahch-To was long and uneventful. Poe worried too much. He thought about pirates and other normal predators. After facing down an arena full of Sith, Rey wasn't sure if anything would scare her again. 

One of the Caretakers met her as she heaved BB-8 out of the X-wing. From the woman's hand gestures and motions, Rey understood that the incident with the blaster during her training with Luke had not been forgotten or forgiven. She somehow needed to learn to communicate with these Caretakers, and let them know that she did not intend to go around shooting up buildings while in residence. 

She found Luke's old hut. It was the largest, and had built in shelves for books. By the time she had removed the Jedi texts and provisions from the X-wing, she was exhausted. She lit a candle and opened one of the eight texts. She needed Yoda. Luke hadn't taught her anything in these books. He might have hated them. While he had helped the Resistance in the end, he had spent nearly a decade and a half holed up on this island, disillusioned with the Jedi and all they represented. The process of translating had proven more tedious than she expected. 

"Rey Skywalker, greetings," said Yoda, and Rey jumped. She had dozed off sitting up with the book open in her lap. 

"Master Yoda. I was just thinking about you."

Yoda smiled. "Nice, it is. To be thought of. Quite a job you have there. Difficult, the translation will be. The texts are old." 

"I see that. I thought I'd get around this by looking for all of the answers I need in Coruscont's library. There was so little on the Jedi. Can you answer my questions?"

"Mm. Unlikely. In these books, your answers may not be."

"Oh." Rey hadn't even considered it. She had assumed that everything she needed to know about the Jedi was written in a book somewhere. She just had to find the book. Or translate the books she had. 

"Many questions, you have." 

Yoda's ghost form sat down on a short wooden stool, and he folded his arms over the top of his cane.

"Why do you need a cane?"

"Need it, I do not."

"Because you're a ghost? Is it rude to call you a ghost?"

He chuckled. "Not rude, no. I like my cane. Have need of it, I still do. Luke is on the other side, too. A difficult student, still. He sometimes needs a knock on the head. This is your first question?"

"No. I have many though."

"Short, my time is. Begin."

"What do I need to do?"

"Practice using the Force. Learn. Become Jedi."

Rey took a slow, deep breath. Yoda had been Luke's teacher. Rey didn't know much about that situation, but she knew that Yoda's teaching style could be utterly infuriating. She was more patient than Luke, but the burden of time pressed on her. She didn't have 900 years of life ahead of her.

"But what is Jedi? And why me?"

"Jedi are users of the Force. Protectors. Teachers. In your hands, this is."

"And I'm it?"

Yoda pursed his lips, and was silent for a long time. "Yes and no. For yourself, you must decide why you. Others will come. Most are children. You will be teacher, mentor, and mother figure."

She knew all of this, of course. Knew it deep down inside. She had been handed many lifetimes of work. She realized she had been thinking of it as a task to compete - a list of simple steps. Become a Jedi. Check. Teach other Jedi. Check. Find a new Jedi master to replace her. Check. Oh, and translation these ancient texts and learn everything in them.

Yoda stood and examined the texts. "Start here." He pointed his cane at a book she hadn't looked at beyond a cursory scan. "Go, I must. If young Solo can come, it will be soon."

He began to fade. "Wait! What do you mean 'if'?" But he was gone with a smile.


	7. True Repentance

After five tests, the portal allowed Ben to pass through. It was disorienting to stand in the world of the living again. Bright morning sun shone down on the craggy rocks of Ahch-To, and the grass glittered an outrageous, briliant color of green. He had appeared about ten paces from Rey. She was looking right at him, her eyes wide with surprise. It had been a month since Yoda had told her Ben might not show up. He tried to take a step forward. 

And then, what felt like a giant gust of wind slammed into him from the front. He knew what was happening. "Aw, fu..." 

"...ck." He tumbled out of the portal and rolled to a stop in the dead lands, right at the feet of Yoda.

Ben was in a rage by the time he'd stood. He turned to face the portal, and yelled, "You fu...," but stopped when he saw his mother.

Leia hated his nickname for the portal. And she didn't care much for his language, either. He was making an effort to come to some middle ground with the General-Princess. She hadn't tried to outright mother him. Yet. He was expecting it. She mostly used her 'general's face,' the one that radiated disapproval, and remained silent. Luke found their interactions endlessly entertaining.

Ben had spent a month trying to overcome the portal, only to have it jerk him back out of the living world as soon as he put his feet down for the first time. It was infuriating. 

"See her, you did," said Yoda. He nodded in approval.

"For about three seconds," said Ben.

"That's good, dear," said Leia. 

"How's that good?" said Ben.

Yoda shook his head. "So young. Success requires work."

Ben scrubbed at his face with his hands, completely exasperated with this little green menace. "I've been working."

"Mhm," said Yoda. 

"How do you stay on the other side for so long?" said Ben. 

"Work," said Yoda, and he turned and walked away.

"I can't believe Luke put up with him as a master," said Ben. 

"It was difficult," said Leia. "And it was mutually frustrating. Luke didn't learn everything he needed. Yoda will be an excellent teacher for Rey. But she does need you, too."

His mother was the only person in this place of gray silence who spoke to him on a regular basis. The others passed their time in quiet thought. He had no idea what they spent their time thinking about. He used to think about Rey, but now every bit of his mind was bent toward defeating the portal.

"I'm no teacher," he grumbled.

"You understand how Rey interacts with the Force. You may be the only one who does. And while you used it for ill whilst alive, you did have good control. That's what she needs. Before she harms herself or others."

"So you all say. But Rey has done just fine without me. Despite me, in fact. If I can't get there, she'll survive."

"Survival is not a goal." Leia's voice was stern. "She must thrive. A great weight rests on her. If survival is all she attains, it will crush her."

Ben wasn't so sure about that, but he wasn't stupid enough to argue with Leia when she used that tone. He turned and studied the portal. He hadn't learned anything new in his first successful cross over. Passing out of the testings, as he had taken to calling them with Anakin, hadn't felt any different than moving from one test to the next. He didn't know he was through until he opened his eyes and saw Rey. He hung his head in defeat and took a few deep breaths. Rey. She had looked so good. Healthy and thriving. Leia might be wrong after all. Rey might not need him.

The last tests had been different than the ones that came before. These tests involved General Hux. And since he hadn't killed Hux, he didn't have to feel the excruciating terror of watching a lightsaber move for a killing blow toward his helpless body. He didn't have to live the horror of watching the masked demon, himself, end his own life. 

What he did experience in Hux's mind was devastating. The man had lived his entire life as a victim. He had never been good enough, not in his eyes or those of his superiors, and so he had watched as others took his place over and over. He was a kicked dog, bullied and belittled. He was also a terrible human being, but Ben's actions hadn't helped that. Ben was shocked to realize that he identified with Hux at some level. And he felt legitimate remorse for how he had treated the General. It surprised him. 

Also, the Force Choke hurt like hell.

"Oh," he said. 

He glanced to the side and found his mother standing there, watching him. 

"Tell me about it," she said.

He sighed. "I'm not an out-loud kind of processor."

"You're not a processor at all. That's part of your problem. Your father wasn't, either. You can't just smash things when you don't feel like you have control here. You must face it."

The silence swelled up around them. A living person would have heard blood pounding behind their ears. Felt their chest tighten. But all Ben heard was the endless, maddening silence. 

"I didn't fully understand the portal after all." 

Leia smiled and gave him an encouraging nod. He no longer wanted to run from her. 

"The portal doesn't just want me to repent of my sins. It wants me to identify with my victims."

"Why do you think that is?"

He thought about Hux, about how they hadn't been all that different. Their paths had diverged based on innate power - which Ben hadn't done anything to earn. A stroke of random luck could have reversed their situations, and Ben wasn't sure he would have been able to manage Hux's lot any better than Hux had. 

"Because there is no true repentance until I fully understand who these people are and what I have taken from them."

Leia nodded, and left him standing in front of the portal.

This revelation made his task so much harder. He had a long way to go before he became a Jedi master.


	8. A Yoda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist. :)

Rey had made a few discoveries since she started working with Master Yoda. She had met with him two more times since she'd arrived on Ahch-To. He never stayed long, but he seemed genuinely invested in her training. He had yet to give her a straight answer to any question she asked about the Force. He had told her that she wasn't much more patient than Ben, just more pleasant about her setbacks.

The first discovery was that she could still call Force Lightning. Which terrified her. She had absolutely no control over it, and she nearly destroyed a Porg nest. The cinged and disgruntled creatures had squawked at her for the rest of the day. After that, she had decided to stop experimenting with that kind of power until Ben could help her.

The second discovery was a puzzle. She had translated the first section of the book Yoda had directed her to start with. In that translation was a brief reference to the Force Dyad. Apparently, there was an old prophecy foretelling the coming of a dyad. She didn't know if it had happened before. Or if she and Ben were the fulfillment.

She wasn't as confident with her translation of the second part of the reference. It appeared to say that the dyad bond exists over space and time. Yoda hadn't returned since she'd found it, so she hadn't been able to ask. Did space mean - space? The in-betweens of the galaxy? That made sense. Her connection with Ben had grown as they used it, so much so that they could physically interact when light-years apart. Or was it more abstract? Was the place where he currently existed a "space?"

And time. That made no sense at all no matter what angle she examined it from. Time was linear. What she did in the present affected the future. The past affected the present, but couldn't be changed. Perhaps time also had to do with distance? 

"What do you think?" 

BB-8 responded that he didn't know. 

Rey sighed. "Me, either. Hopefully one of them will show up soon and explain it." 

She heard the ship before she saw it. At first, she thought it might be the Falcon, with Finn and Poe, and maybe even Rose. There was so much to do on Ahch-To that she hadn't had much time to focus on her solitary existence. But it would be nice to see friends again. 

When the pre-Galactic Empire gunship came into view on the horizon, she shifted into fight mode. Very few people knew where she was. Poe's lectures about pirates and bounty hunters came to mind. And according to him, they still had enemies, biding their time and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Rey called her lightsaber to her from its place in her hut and prepared for a fight. 

The door opened, and a man wearing a silver helmet and armor stomped out of the ship. 

Great. Another angsty man in a helmet. Just what she needed. She held her blade in front of her, the gold reflecting off of the man's armor in the dusky haze of evening. 

He held out his hands in the universal sign for 'I come in peace.' 

"Jedi," he said. Not a question. 

"Mandalorian." She was grateful her time in the library hadn't been completely useless. 

What in the galaxy was he doing here?

"I've been looking for you."

"Why?" Her heart was pounding so fast she thought it might burst. A bounty hunter? Surely no one would put a bounty on her. 

"My son needs a teacher." 

"You won't find any Jedi masters here."

She retracted her lightsaber, but kept it in her hand. A Mandalorian looking for a Jedi? 

The helmeted head cocked to the side. "What are you, then?"

"A student." 

The man dropped his arms to his sides and rotated in a complete circle, inspecting the island. A few of the Caretakers peeked out at him from behind a boulder. 

"Those creatures are not your teachers." He gestured toward the Caretakers, and they scurried away back up the narrow path to the other side of the island. 

She'd read about their technology. Their helmets were capable of droid-like function. 

"They aren't. I'm the only Jedi here. Where is your son?"

He gestured back toward the ship. "When will you begin teaching? We have come far to find you."

"When my teacher says I'm ready. I can't honestly say when that will be." And based on my progress so far, it might be years. Even decades. She decided not to share that with him. 

"You're his people," said the Mandalorian. "That's why I brought him." 

Rey was confused. His people? The student's people? "Where are you from?"

The Mandalorian shrugged. "I was a foundling. So is my son. My task is to reunite him with his people. Jedi are his people."

"How do you know?" 

Now she was curious, and her body's fight instinct had calmed a bit. "He is like you. He uses the Force." 

Well, Yoda had said students would come. Maybe this one had just arrived early.

The Mandalorian turned his back on her and entered his ship. A tiny figure emerged with him. As he drew closer, Rey couldn't stop her mouth from dropping open. It was a miniature version of Yoda, but much cuter. The creature reached out its tiny tridactyl hand. In it was a lightsaber. The little Yoda looked to the Mandalorian, who nodded. 

Rey's shock increased as the little Yoda ignited the lightsaber. A small, black blade emerged. The Yoda craned its little neck to look up at her. 

"Will you teach me," it said in a small voice.

Rey had to remind herself to close her mouth. She knew this task would bring her interesting experiences. But she would never have believed this was possible. A tiny Jedi with a lightsaber. A tiny Jedi who was like Yoda. 

"How old are you?" said Rey, kneeling to bring her face closer to his level.

"Seventy-seven," said the child. 

Rey's mouth fell open again. The Mandalorian chuckled. And the child just stared at her with its giant black eyes.


	9. The Funny Thing About Hope

Rey stood rooted in place for over an hour, waiting. She had seen Ben. For just a few seconds, but he had appeared right in front of her. She was hoping and praying to all the powers in the universe that he would come back. She had started to wonder if Yoda was right, that Ben might not come. Maybe he couldn't come. While she waited, she attempted to locate their old dyad bond. If the book was right, it was still there.

"Are you OK?" said the Mandalorian. 

Rey started, so distracted she hadn't heard him approach.

"You look like you saw a ghost," he said. 

"Mm." She was still hesitant to take her eyes off of that spot. 

"We're going to survey this planet."

"It's mostly water. Do you spar? I don't have a partner here, and I don't think a match between your son and I is fair yet. I'm assuming you're planing to stay, at least for a while."

"I spar. We'll stay."

"Good."

The Mandalorian left without another comment. He was the most taciturn person she had encountered in a long time.

Rey watched the Razor Crest lift off and head east over the choppy sea. She hadn't had time to think about how to approach the sordid history of the Mandalorians and Jedi. This Mandalorian certainly knew it. The Jedi had effectively destroyed his people's home world of Mandalore. The Mandalorians had a long history of violence. At some point, Jedi had also become Mandalorians. She had decided to rely the man's obvious devotion to his Force-sensitive ward and trust him. Poe would not approve. She smiled at that thought. 

"New friend?"

Rey whipped around. Ben was there again. She ran toward him, and stopped just in front of him. He smiled, and she lifted a shaking hand and reached toward him. Her hand passed through his chest, and he grimaced. 

"Are you OK?" she said. "I saw you, and then you disappeared." 

He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "I might not have long this time, either. I can't control it." 

"Tell me everything, then. Quickly." 

"I'm supposed to train you. I don't have much to say."

"How did you get here?"

"It's complicated. I don't know. I can't understand the mechanics of it."

"Is it horrible? In the other place?"

Rey had imagined all sorts of awful scenarios for the afterlife the former Jedi resided in. Surely the Force would be kind to its dedicates? 

Ben dropped down to his knees in front of her. "Before anything else happens, I need to apologise for the harm I caused you. It was wrong. Because of me, you suffered. I'm sorry, Rey. Will you forgive me?" 

"Of course."

He really had shed Kylo Ren. The lingering, nagging worry about the nature of his transformation went up like a puff of smoke. 

"Thank you." 

"Why did you do it?" Her voice trembled, and she thought of the buckets of tears she had shed over his death. Things were better now. She could see him and talk to him. But it still felt awful. 

"It was the right thing to do." 

He rubbed his face and stood. She reached out to touch him again, but her hand passed right through. He could touch himself, though. That's interesting. Probably a good question for Yoda. Speaking of Yoda...

"Did Yoda ever have any children?" 

"That's the last thing I would ever expect you to ask." 

"Just curious. I met a child of his species. The Jedi have had relationships, haven't they?"

"Luke did. My mother wasn't technically a Jedi, but maybe that's all wrong. She's stuck with the rest of us. The Jedi aren't supposed to fu," he cut himself off and coughed. "They aren't supposed to engage in child-producing activities or that type of relationship. Yoda is the last one I would suspect of breaking the Jedi code. Have you asked him?"

Rey cringed. "He's not very direct about answering my questions. I can't quite figure out how to pose that one. 'So Yoda, were you engaged in child-producing activities prior to your death?' What do you think he would do if I asked?"

Ben laughed. "Please do. It's my first assignment as your new Master."

She hoped he was kidding.

"I've been studying the Jedi texts. I found a passage about the dyad bond."

He sobered immediately. "Oh?" 

"I think it might still be in tact."

Ben frowned. It was amazing how this frown was so different from his moody, angry Kylo Ren frown. "Have you tried to use it?" 

"A little. I didn't realize it might still be there."

"Not to disappoint, but don't put too much hope in it."

"I know. It's just, before, we could interact, even though our bodies weren't in the same space. That's not much different than now."

The little, normal movements he displayed even in ghost form stilled. He looked down into her eyes. She held his gaze. Let him see what she really felt. It was ridiculous, but true, regardless of the circumstances. 

"That would be nice," he said carefully. "We should explore it further."

"I don't mean to be too hopeful. I just thought it might be worth a try."

"It would help with your training."

"Of course. My training is important." 

Rey wasn't sure what was going on. Had she misread him? She didn't think so. But Ben Solo was not the man she had interacted with before Exegol. That man, Kylo Ren, had seemed more than interested in something beyond a platonic relationship with her. This man, Ben Solo, was hard to read. He was wholly focused on her, but thinking back through their conversation she couldn't point to anything specific that indicated he was trying to be more than a friend or master. 

But of course he wasn't. Because he had sense. And he was dead. 

Dead. Rey shivered. 

He had kissed her though. Just that once. She wanted to ask him about it, but didn't want their relationship now to be awkward. He was right. It was unlikely their bond still existed. She needed to be happy with what she had. The funny thing about hope was that it didn't care much about things like rules or death. So she smiled, and nodded. 

"I'll come back as soon as I can," Ben blurted out, and then he vanished. 

Rey sighed. Then she went to find some staves to spar with the Mandalorian. There was no way she was going to swing a lightsaber at him, and she didn't want anything to do with the pronged blade he carried. They could accidentally restart the Mandalorian-Jedi War if they weren't careful.


	10. Likely Scenarios

This time, the portal didn't launch him out in a tumbled mess to roll across the floor and land in a heap. He stumbled a bit, but kept his footing. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, and reviewed the conversation a few times. He kept getting stuck on his answer to why he had given his life for hers. Because it was the right thing to do. Why had he said that? That was not why he had done it. She was more deserving than him, and would certainly make more of her life than he had. Those were all good reasons. But they weren't the real reason. 

"I'm an idiot."

Luke's chuckle informed him that he had not said that in his head as he intended. "You succeeded though?"

"Yes. I saw her. I spoke to her."

"And?"

"She's doing well." 

"On Ahch-To?"

"Yes." He paused, working around the next words, shaping them so they didn't snag on their way out. "There's a man with her." 

Luke's face shifted into an expression of rare sympathy. "I'm sorry. I really am, Ben. That's going to be the hardest part of this. Can you manage?" 

Ben didn't know. A month ago he would have said no. The idea of it would have sickened him. To be honest, it still did a little. But now, he wasn't so sure. Her hands had passed straight through him. He couldn't touch her, and it was torture. 

"I don't know what to do."

"Do the best you can. She's a smart girl. Trust her."

It's wasn't that he didn't trust Rey. She had been amazing during their conversation. It hadn't seemed like she treated him any differently without his physical form. How long before he said something he couldn't take back? Before he lost his temper and blurted something unforgivable out of jealousy? 

"When will Yoda see her again?" said Ben.

"He doesn't share his plans with me, if that's what you're asking. He's been twice so far. It sounds like he's as forthcoming with her as he was with me."

"She mentioned that he doesn't answer her questions."

Luke snorted. "If Yoda's really interested in that Order continuing, he better start. It's going to take Rey a long time to learn using his usual methods. Did you teach her anything?"

"No. We didn't have much time."

We did have some time, though. I just couldn't pull myself together and stop staring at her. 

"She's a live wire. You better figure out how to ground her before she hurts herself." 

"How do you think she's using the light side to call Force Lightning?" 

Ben had been puzzling through that since it happened in the Forbidden Desert of Pansino. Did it have something to do with the dyad bond? When working in tandem, they were unstoppable. His power expanded, feeding off of hers. Perhaps the same phenomenon happened when they pushed against each other. Whatever had happened, she had torn a ship apart with no apparent difficulty. And it was obvious then that she had no control whatsoever over the ability. 

"Jedi used it in the past," said Luke. "But Jedi leaders didn't approve. They thought it would corrupt the user, push them toward the dark side."

"Like romantic relationships?"

"You're talking to me. I don't believe either of those things. If you want a canonical answer, ask Yoda. I won't defend either position. Neither do I believe the concern anything other than a scare tactic." 

"I could never use the Lightning. Maybe there's a hereditary component?"

"Darth Vader used it. By your theory, you should also have had access."

"Good thing I didn't," Ben mumbled. 

He had been deadly enough. Instead of Force Choking people, he would have electrocuted them. His tests in the portal would have been even worse. 

"How did you project yourself in corporeal form on Crait? It was just like fighting you in person. Could I do that to help her?"

Luke scrubbed at his beard. "Maybe. I was alive then. The Force is essentially an endless well of possibility. You can use the Force in this ghost form. It's just harder. Also of note, that killed me."

"I can confidently face the risk of death." 

"True," said Luke, completely missing the sarcasm. 

Could he project himself from here? That seemed less likely than accessing the bond from here. These seemed to be the two most likely scenarios that would allow him to put his hands on her. 

"Tell me about the man," said Luke.

"Silver helmet, silver armor. Pronged blade. Dangerous looking." 

Luke smiled. "A Mandalorian?"

"I don't know. I've never seen a Mandalorian."

"No, I doubt you have. They probably avoided the First Order."

"Is he unsafe?" Ben prepared to go back into the portal and warn Rey.

"It's unlikely. And besides, Rey can hold her own. Trust her. But you don't have to worry about him being with her."

"Why's that?"

"They never take off their helmets."

Ben tried not to grin like a fool. Maybe he hadn't been mistaken about Rey. Maybe she was thinking about the usages of the bond for the same reason he was. If he could just touch her. He was going to drive himself mad fixating on this. How many times would he be able to see her before he couldn't stand it any more? This first meeting had been difficult. What would the tenth, or fiftieth be like? 

He'd adjust, and so would she. If they couldn't figure anything else out, there wouldn't be a choice. It always seemed easier to suffer through less than ideal circumstances when you didn't have a choice. 

Luke walked off, and Ben sat down. His body still felt tired when he exited the portal. The residue of the pain lingered from each test. 

How had he accessed the dyad bond when alive? He couldn't remember. It seemed to just happen. It was likely it wasn't just action on his part that activated or sustained it. Rey didn't share any other insights with him, so he doubted she knew more than he did. 

He practiced the old Jedi centering drills Luke had taught him as a child. Perhaps in the calm he would have enough distance to search for the bond inside of himself, if it was still there.


	11. An Odd Confrontation

The Mandalorian had never taken off his helmet, and she had never asked about it. She was pretty sure he wasn't of the same species as his son and Yoda, because he was much taller than her. She had started thinking of her Master as 'Big Yoda.' The little boy was 'Little Yoda.' She never addressed the child as such, and she never heard the Mandalorian call him by any name at all. 

Their sparing was viscous. He didn't hold back, and it took everything she had to keep up. They couldn't best each other. He had his helmet, and whatever it could do to aid him, and she had the Force. Though she never used it offensively. That seemed like cheating. 

Little Yoda watched their sparing matches without a word. His huge eyes tracked his father's movements, though occasionally she felt them on her. He was even quieter than the Mandalorian. They weren't much for conversation, but they were good company. 

"Use your weapon," said the Mandalorian, a few days after they had started their ritual morning sparing routine. He tossed his staff away.

"My lightsaber? That's hardly fair." 

He retrieved his own sword and showed it to her. "I won't use the stick."

"Why? This is much more dangerous."

The Mandalorian pointed to Little Yoda. "Show him what your weapon can do. He must learn."

Rey extended her lightsaber and shrugged. "If you insist." 

She'd practiced with him enough that she trusted him not to use killing blows. But the live weapons added an aspect to her training she had desperately missed. This new training was useful. 

"You would have been a good Mandalorian," he said, after they had finished.

"I'm not sure if the Mandalorians would have been too pleased to have a Force user join their ranks."

"How long have you been a Jedi?"

"Not long. Not long at all."

He nodded to her and returned to his ship. Little Yoda continued to watch her. 

"Well," she said to him. "I can teach you something, I'm sure. Maybe you can teach me something, too. We'll just have to try it and see."

Little Yoda smiled and approached her. She searched around and found three wide, flat rocks. She laid them out in front of him in a row, and sat opposite him. She still towered over him. 

"Here's the exercise. Stack these rocks atop each other." 

She showed him, lifting one and placing it on the other. Then the third, on the top of the stack. She unstacked them and returned them to their original positions. 

He eyed the stones, and to her surprise, replicated the task. 

"Very good," she said. "Well, let's levitate. Have you ever done that?"

He shook his head. 

She placed her hands on her crossed legs and closed her eyes. Lifting herself off of the ground required more concentration than any other task. It defied gravity, and she had to constantly redirect herself from focusing on the wrongness of it. 

Little Yoda had a much harder time with this exercise. She wondered, belatedly, if different Force users were naturally talented in different areas, and what that would mean as a teacher. Add that to the list of things she need to ask Yoda about. Which was becoming alarmingly long since he hadn't returned. 

Rey closed her eyes again and allowed the boy time to work out the puzzle. It had taken her a while to get a hang of it, too. It was only fair to allow him the space he needed to fail without her watching him at every step. A grunt brought her back to the present, and the scene before her made her lose all focus and drop most of the way to the ground before she recovered herself and slowed her fall. She still collided painfully with the ground.

Ben stood there, hands wrapped around his throat. He was kicking and gasping. His toes scrabbled uselessly at the earth below him. Little Yoda stood with arm outstretched, eyes closed. Oh. Oh, no.

"Stop!" Rey placed a hand on his tiny shoulder. "Stop! Stop! He's a friend!" 

"He's dangerous," said Little Yoda.

"So are we," said Rey, her voice much calmer than expected.

Ben dropped to the ground, gasping and wheezing. Knowing he couldn't die didn't alleviate her alarm. Little Yoda watched with his wide, unblinking eyes. Ben held his hands up in surrender. 

"How did that just happen?" Ben finally said.

Since everyone else was on the ground, Rey dropped down onto her stomach so she was looking up at Little Yoda. What an odd confrontation.

"This is Ben," she said. "Ben, this is the boy I told you about. He's like Yoda."

"Yoda never Force Choked anyone," said Ben, his voice gravelly. "Jedi don't use it." 

"They don't use Lightning, either," said Rey. 

"I concede the point," said Ben. 

He sat cross-legged in front of them. His chest still rose and fell in great heaves. That made no sense. He didn't need air. He was a ghost! Maybe it was some kind of reflex, some effort to hold onto his lifelike qualities. 

The Mandalorian returned, having heard the commotion. "Are you alright?" She wasn't sure which of them he addressed. Then, he walked in front of them and stood right on top of Ben. 

Little Yoda nodded, and began to walk back to the Razor Crest. The Mandalorian followed. 

"He can't see you," said Rey. She pulled herself up and sat right in front of Ben, a mirror image of his posture. 

"I hope not," said Ben. "Otherwise, he's rude." 

Rey burst into a fit of giggles. When she had control of herself, she looked up to find Ben smiling at her. That smile was so nice. 

"You don't think he's using the dark side, do you?" asked Rey.

"I don't know. I didn't know the light side could be used for that particular attack. He's protective of you. I like him." 

"He hasn't said more than ten words to me since they arrived. It's good to know he likes me. How did he do that?" 

"My knowledge on being a Force Ghost is admittedly limited. I knew that we could effect the living world with the Force, but I didn't realise the reverse was possible."

"And it hurt you?" She wanted to reach out and put her hands on his neck, to sooth away the pain. 

"It hurt." 

"Doesn't it feel like we're missing something here? How can it hurt you?"

"It doesn't hurt as bad as what it takes for me to come here." 

"What? What does that mean?"

"Nothing." He grimaced.

Rey crossed her arms and set her jaw. "It's not nothing. Tell me. I want to understand."


	12. A Brutal Reaping

Kylo Ren would never have had this conversation. He wouldn't have stooped so low. But Kylo Ren was dead, and had left Ben holding all of his baggage. For once, Ben wished the portal would open up and swallow him. Maybe Rey would forget about this until the next time she saw him. The look on her face wasn't promising. He halted his internal whinging and tried to find a good place to start. 

"Have you heard the expression, 'You reap what you sow'?" 

Rey nodded. 

"The crossing from the land of the dead to the living is a repository for all of my sins whist alive. The reaping ground, for lack of a better term." 

"That sounds awful." 

"Awful is putting it mildly. The Kylo Ren part of me is gone. At first, I didn't trust the transformation. I suspected some of him was still buried deep, and that at the first sign of fear or anger or hate he would come raging back out and take over. So far, so good. I think he's really gone." 

"I do, too."

That small affirmation meant the world to him. He placed his trembling hands on his thighs and squeezed to keep the shaking at bay. 

"The problem is that I'm still responsible for what Kylo Ren did. I can't shake that off. Those sins adhered to my soul. In order to pass through the portal, or whatever it is, the Force requires me to relive those sins. Over, and over, and over. Each one, in gruesome, realistic detail."

Rey put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was my fault. I experience those events as my victims. I watch the monster I used to be hurt people. And I feel what they felt. If the Force deems my repentance true, it allows me to pass from one sin to the next, and decides when to let me through to see you. If I fail, I go back to the land of the dead and start over. It's why it took me so long to get here at first. The pain from those experiences lingers after I'm through."

"Stop doing it!" 

"Then I can't see you."

"Oh. But you changed. Why are you still responsible for what you did in the past?"

"It was still me, Rey. Forgiveness and consequences are two different things." 

"That sounds like something Leia would say."

"I stole it from her."

"What kind of things?"

"Um, what do you mean?" His stomach twisted with dread.

"What did you do?" Her voice was so soft he barely heard it. 

If there was any mercy in the universe, the damn portal would take him back right now. But no wind came to save him. 

"Are you sure you want to know?"

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Imagine the worst possible crimes."

He cringed a little when Rey shifted back, placing more space between them. He wasn't sure if she was conscious of the movement. It was the natural response to a monster. Rey didn't say anything. She just looked at him, waiting. She actually wanted him to talk about what he had done. These women in his life felt the need to make him talk. He prepared himself for the crushing disappointment of never seeing her again. After this, she wouldn't look at him the same way. 

And he deserved it. There was to be no happiness for one such as he. Monsters didn't deserve it. 

"The worst thing I ever did was stand by whilst the First Order destroyed entire planets."

Rey nodded for him to continue. 

"I murdered indiscriminately. I killed my enemies, and anyone else who got in my way."

He paused, and when she still didn't say anything, he decided to stop waiting for her feedback and just plow through the entire mess.

"I killed peaceful members of religious orders. I trained the Knights to cause endless torment in the galaxy. Some of them are still out there, operating on their directives."

He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, curling in on himself. 

"I abandoned my soldiers to their deaths without thought for their lives. I treated people like things. I destroyed homes and families. I tortured and bullied. I allowed myself to become a weapon of lethal rage, to be wielded indiscriminately - a wild animal on a very long leash."

"I killed my father," he whispered. 

He knew what was coming next, before she even opened that beautiful mouth. Everyone had a list of unforgivable sins. They thought all sins were bad, all unthinkable, but deep down, a few outweighed the others. Most could be overlooked with evidence of change. He was about to find out what was on Rey's unforgivable list.

"So the portal does to you what you did to others?"

"Yes." He tensed, waiting.

"Did you ever kill a child?" She looked him straight in the eye. 

"I am responsible for the deaths of an uncountable number of children. But I never killed a child with my own hands. That is more a result of others protecting their children and removing them from my line of sight. I cannot honestly say that I wouldn't have done so if the situation seemed necessary."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. Was that answer sufficient? He had made a promise to himself that he would never lie to her, even if it meant his words would cause a permanent schism between them. She deserved better; she deserved the truth. If they were going to work together, she had to trust him. The second question was coming. Most people had a few on their lists.

"Rape?" 

He hadn't expected that one, but looking at her now, so pale even her lips had lost their color, he wondered what she had experienced on Jakku. She had been alone and unprotected for much of her life, and without the use of the Force. All he could do was hope this wasn't a question birthed from personal trauma. 

"Never."

She didn't say anything. 

"Not all men with power direct their anger into rape. I cannot speak for anyone else under my command. I never left them much time for such behavior, but I can't say for sure. I will never lie to you, Rey Skywalker. Of all of the many sins I committed, that one is not in the tally."

A muscle in her jaw twitched, and he could hear her teeth clenching. 

"OK," she said. 

She stood and walked away without another word. He stayed where he was, and waited for the portal to reclaim him. He had thought the portal was the reaping ground. Confessing to a person he loved had been a much more brutal reaping than the portal could ever inflict.


	13. Only in Dreams

Rey had left the conversation badly. Asking him felt harsh, but she had to know. She hadn't been able to organize her scattered thoughts, and it seemed like a better idea to walk away instead of saying something she hadn't had time to consider. The idea she kept circling back to to frame Ben's confessions remained the same. But he was a victim, too. It punctuated every accusation she tried to lay on him. No one had won in the creation of Kylo Ren. Her grandfather had gambled, and he had hurt millions, even Ben.

Rey dropped onto her stiff cot, sure her mind was too frantic to sleep. What would she have done if she had been in Ben's place? Would she have succumbed to her grandfather's vile whispers? She honestly couldn't say. 

Rey blinked. Dim moonlight filtered in through the cracks around the wooden shutters. She had dozed off, but a boot scraping on the rocky ground had roused her. A dark figure stood in the doorway of her little hut. The Mandalorian? It must be. Light glinted off of a metal helmet. 

She sat up, and mumbled, "Mando?"

He entered, and the door swung shut behind him. Not the Mandalorian. It was Ben. But not Ben. It was Ben wearing Kylo Ren's helmet and dark garb. She sucked in a breath and scrambled to her feet. 

"Rey. Come here." He extended a hand to her. 

She shivered. "What happened?" Her voice trembled. Had he restored himself using some kind of dark side power?

He took a step toward her, and she instinctively stepped back. This was wrong. One of the biggest difference between Ben and Kylo Ren was this aggressiveness. He tensed as she refused to come toward him. 

"Now."

Her lightsaber was missing. She must have lent it to Little Yoda earlier, and he hadn't returned it. Kylo didn't have a weapon out yet, but this would come to blows. It always did with him. She took another step back, frantically searching the little hut for a weapon. Throwing books at him wouldn't gain her any appreciable time. And even if she could shift around him, she couldn't get past him. He was too fast. 

He reached up and released his helmet, and dropped it on the short stool where Big Yoda sat during her lessons. That face! It was Ben's face, but...not. It was too still. Void of the warmth and vulnerability she had become familiar with over their past few meetings. 

"What have you done?" she whispered. She stepped back again, and bumped into the wall. 

He wouldn't hurt her. He had never really tried to hurt her. He took another long stride, and placed himself within a few hand spans. She tensed, and he lifted his arms and pressed his palms into the wall on either side of her head. 

"Why are you running from me?" 

She was trapped. Her breathing was rapid and overly loud in her ears. 

"Are you afraid?" he crooned. 

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because," she started. But she couldn't find the reason. 

He leaned into her, his cheek touching hers, and whispered, "I don't think fear is the only thing you're feeling right now."

Her breath hitched, and she bit down hard on her lip. No, no, no. Heat swelled at her center. He was right. That infuriating draw she had always felt toward him was still th. The back of his gloved hand brushed against her other cheek, and his fingers slid in a lazy path down her neck, across her collar bone, down her arm to her wrist. She had fallen asleep in a sleeveless top, and she felt exposed. 

He stepped back, pulled her wrist up, and kissed the inside of it. Her skin was instantly covered in goose bumps. He placed her palm on his chest, bit the tip of his glove, and tugged it off with his teeth. He pressed a kiss to her neck, and damn every shred of good sense she had left, she tipped her chin up to give him better access. He chuckled.

"Do you want me to leave?"

His fingers slid beneath her top and splayed open across her bare midriff, just brushing a breast. No. Her mind screamed at her from some faraway corner, muffled by layers of desire. Stop this. Stop it! This isn't right. But she fisted his shirt and held him in place. That was answer enough. And permission.

He pressed against her and kissed her. She wanted more. She tugged his other glove off, and began fumbling with the closure on his coat, never breaking the kiss. He ripped at the thin top, breaking the straps. It slid down and settled around her waist. He trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

She gripped his face in both hands, intending to bring his mouth back up to hers. Her fingers slid over the cool, silky path of a scar tissue down his cheek, and she froze. The remnants of one of their first meetings. She had always felt a little bad about it.

That's not right. The scar is gone. She pushed him back and inspected his face further.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Your face. This scar shouldn't be here."

He cocked his head to the side. "It's been there since you gave it to me."

She shook her head. "Ben, it was healed. After you died."

She shook her head again, trying to dislodged the muddled confusion.

Rey gasped and sat up on her cot, her skin slicked with sweat and her body trembling from cold. No Ben. Her lightsaber was on the floor beside her, secured to her belt. Her top was where it should be. 

She sat for a long time, considering the dream. She didn't much like her conclusion. Some of that old persona of Kylo Ren had been darkly appealing in ways she couldn't quite grasp, but had to acknowledge. His singular focus on her, and the rawness of desire it exposed in herself, were truths.

He had said it was still him. He wasn't Kylo Ren anymore. But he was still him, in some ways.

She burrowed under her blanket and tried to put the dream out of her mind. Was that singular desire for her still lingering beneath the calm face Ben presented to her? 

What did it matter? She could only touch him in dreams.


	14. Big and Little

Rey waited for the next few days for Ben to return, but he didn't. She knew he'd been sad after they last spoke, but he didn't seem like the type to mope. Thankfully, that accursed dream hadn't returned, either. 

Big Yoda came, instead.

"Rey Skywalker, greetings," he said.

He stood outside of her door and waited for her to open it. It hadn't really occurred to her until now that these Force Ghosts could pop up where ever and whenever they liked. Maybe next time she'd be taking a bath and Yoda would just appear. That would be awkward. 

She opened the door for him, and he entered, taking his place on the short stool. She sat on her cot and faced him.

"Doing well, you are, mhm," said Yoda. He motioned to the book she was translating. It was about two-thirds of the way done, without another mention of the Force Bond. 

"Is Ben OK?"

Yoda smiled. "Struggling, he is. Forced him to face his past, you did."

"I didn't mean for it to be harmful. I just needed to know."

"Why?"

"It seemed like if I didn't fully know the extent of what he did, I wouldn't be able to understand him. I'm not holding it against him, I know the portal or whatever it is does that. I just had to know. Not knowing allowed too much opportunity for my imagination. I knew he was terrible. He was terrible to me. But some things I'm not sure if I could forgive, no matter what I..." she trailed off, knowing she had said way too much. Yoda didn't need to know she was in love with a ghost. She didn't want him to think she had caved under pressure already.

"Mhm. I understand."

"Can I show you something?"

Yoda nodded, and she led him out of her hut and toward the Razor Crest. She motioned for him to stay put, and knocked on the side of the ship. The Mandalorian met her at the top of the ramp. 

"Can I borrow your son for a little training?"

She waited while he fetched Little Yoda. The Mandalorian had decided they would reside in his ship. Though she thought it unlikely any enemies would come to Ahch-To, it was safer than one of the huts. Little Yoda joined her, and they walked down the ramp, his Darksaber in hand. He'd been trying to convince her to teach him to fight with it, but he was too small for her to figure out the mechanics for him. It was dangerous, and Rey couldn't risk hurting the most likely, and at the moment, only candidate she had to continue the Order when she was gone. 

Little Yoda walked right up to Big Yoda and stood in front of him. They stared at each other. Big Yoda's eyes had gone very wide, so wide she could see whites all around his irises. Rey stood behind Little Yoda. 

"This boy came with the Mandalorian," said Rey. "He has use of the Force. They were looking for his people. The Mandalorian seems to think the Jedi are his people, not those of his species."

"A clone, he is not," said Big Yoda. He narrowed his eyes and inspected the boy. "How old are you?"

"Seventy-seven," said Little Yoda.

Big Yoda's face scrunched up in concentration, his brows drawn tight together. Then he pointed to Little Yoda's lightsaber. "Show me."

The boy obediently activated the blade. Rey still didn't understand the Darksaber. She had never seen or heard of a black one. And it was much shorter than hers.

"Vizsla's saber," said Big Yoda. 

"Who's that?" asked Rey.

"The first Mandalorian to join the Jedi," said Big Yoda. "Create this, he did. Wielded by dark and light both, it has been."

"Is it safe?" asked Rey. 

Little Yoda looked up at her. She wasn't sure he'd give up that blade if she asked, and she didn't know if she had the heart, or the power, to take it away. 

"A tool, it is," said Big Yoda. "No more. It is safe, depending on the wielder. Teach him, you will?"

"I've been trying," said Rey, at the same time Little Yoda said, "She is my teacher."

Rey and Little Yoda looked at each other, and he smiled. He was so adorable. She'd never really thought of herself as mother material, but she enjoyed the prospect of mentoring little ones. 

"I don't know how to teach lightsaber use," said Rey. "And he's so much smaller than me."

"Teach you, Ben will," said Yoda.

If he ever comes back. She kept that to herself. She had no idea what was happening on the other side. Ben might just be busy. 

The similarities between Big Yoda and Little Yoda were striking. Little Yoda hadn't grown into his ears yet, which seemed to be adult sized even now. Rey had heard and read plenty of stories about Master Yoda. He had been one of the strongest Force users in the galaxy, ever. 

"Talk to Rey, I must," said Big Yoda to Little Yoda. "A pleasure to meet you, it was."

The boy understood the dismissal, and retreated back into the Razor Crest. Rey followed Yoda into her hut. He sat on his stool, and didn't say anything more. After the silence became uncomfortable, Rey decided to just outright ask him.

"Master Yoda? Is he kin?"

That was as benign a phrasing as she could construct. It left room for many options other than a child, and didn't sound accusatory. She hoped.

"Very few of us, there are," said Yoda. "Calculating, I have been. Hm. Mmmmm." 

Rey let him think. He didn't seem anxious. 

"Like me, he is. Similar in the Force, we are. Tell me about him."

Rey shared what little she knew about Little Yoda. Master Yoda was surprised by the child's use of the Force Choke, and his budding skills. 

"If he is my child, you are wondering."

Her cheeks turned pink. "It had crossed my mind."


	15. Wine and Danger

One moment, Rey was lying on a rare grassy patch upslope on a higher crag on the west side of the island. The next, she was standing inside of a dimly lit room aboard a spacecraft.

She blinked. The light change had blinded her.

"You're awake this time," said a deep male voice. "Good."

Ben.

When her eyes adjusted, she scanned the room, wondering what in all the universe had just happened. Sitting on the edge of a wide bed was Kylo Ren. Of course it wasn't Ben. She took a step back.

"Now, now, none of that." He rubbed his face, exasperated. "I didn't even move yet."

"Where am I?"

"In my rooms. Yours leave a bit to be desired."

He looked up at her. The scar was back. She had to have fallen asleep, despite what he said.

"Are you pleased? I assumed you would be."

Rey's anxiety spiked. What was this? It was as bizarre a dream as she had ever had.

"Pleased with what?"

He frowned at her. "I let Leia live. Does this not please you?"

"I...yes?"

The frown deepened. He stood, smoothed his bare hands down the front of his shirt, and approached her. He was careful this time, eyeing her like she might turn and bolt at any moment.

"I know you view her as a mother. I did this for you. I have decided to take a different approach with you."

He very slowly reached for her, one large hand cupping her chin, and tipped her face up for inspection. This wasn't real. She didn't need to try to get away from him or fight.

What was this insanity, then? Her mind conjured nonsense. Maybe she needed to talk more often. Perhaps her solitude on Ahch-To was starting to wear down her mind, though she hadn't noticed it whilst awake. She would sit the Mandalorian down and make him talk to her. Little Yoda had finally begun to warm up. Maybe he would talk more now.

"Thank you," she said.

It seemed best to play along until she woke. No need to anger him. Or anger her mind's recreation of him? It was remarkable how accurately she had imagined him. The scar was perfect.

"We were abruptly interrupted last time we met." His voice was silky smooth and quiet, but intense.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. It was all the things he was not. Soft. Sweet. Patient.

What if she gave in to this? What harm could come of it? It was in her mind, trapped in a dream. Did it matter that this version she had imagined wasn't actually Ben? What would Ben think?

"Have some wine."

He released her and left her standing there, flushed. He went to a small desk and poured two glasses. He handed one to her, and touched the edge of his to it with a soft clink.

"To us."

She nodded, mute, and took a drink. This seemed so real. The wine was bitter. She rarely drank it, and wasn't prepared for the delicious warmth that bloomed in her chest a few moments later. She finished her glass, and allowed him to fill it again. Ah, what the hell. It would certainly make this easier until she woke up. 

He smiled at her. Still a predator, but she could see little glimpses of Ben behind the tiny fissures in his careful facade. 

"I don't like your helmet."

"I know. I know quite a bit about you, scavenger."

Rey flinched at the nickname. She hated it. He knew she hated it. This was the cruel streak that worried her most about him. Yes, she had been a scavenger. It was what she had done to survive, not who she was. She was thankful she'd escaped prostitution. Those nicknames would have crushed her coming from him. 

What if this is real? A little voice in the back of her head kept poking her with the question. You haven't seen Ben in days. Maybe he returned to this somehow. Maybe you are the biggest of all fools. 

"Where are we?"

"In my quarters."

The wine loosened her tongue enough to risk a little cheek. "Yes, we've already established that. But where?"

Ben shrugged. "Somewhere in the vastness of the galaxy. I can radio command if you want a precise location. I don't think you care, though."

Right again. She felt compelled to keep him talking. Before she could formulate another question in her wine-muddled mind, he swooped the glass out of her hand, and replaced them on the desk. It was covered with papers, but she couldn't see what they said. Several data pads were stacked in the corner, and a hologram projector sat in the center. 

He stepped up behind her and buried his face in her hair. "You smell like the sea." 

"Uh," Rey shook herself. Focus, stupid! It's your dream! "I love the ocean. I lived in the sand too long."

His long fingers twined up into her hair, gently tugging it loose of its fastenings. He tossed the ties to the floor.

"My grandfather grew up in the sand, too. He held no love for it."

Rey didn't know anyone who liked living in a place like Jakku. She stayed because she didn't feel like she had another choice. 

"Anakin Skywalker?" 

His fingers stilled. "Darth Vader."

Rey nodded. No use arguing about it. Luke had told her about Anakin once. In the end, he had abandoned Darth Vader. Just as Ben had abandoned Kylo Ren. They had both died, but the Force had accepted them regardless of who they had been.

He guided her around to face him, and kissed her again. The wine ploy had loosened her up, as was likely its purpose. She lifted her arms up around his neck and kissed him back. She felt wild and giddy. He slowly backed her up until the backs of her legs touched the bed. 

She sat down on the soft bed, and opened her eyes to glaring sunlight. Little Yoda stood beside her on Ahch-To, the Mandalorian behind him. 

"My son says you are in danger," said the Mandalorian. "Are you?"

Rey sat up. The wind blew her loose hair across her face, and she swiped it away so she could see them.

"I'm well," said Rey. "Thank you for your concern."

The Mandalorian nodded curtly, and they left her sitting in the grass, hair unbound, a little bit tipsy, and very confused.


	16. Dangerous Men

Rey wasn't aware of how much she had missed Finn and Poe until the Falcon settled beside the Razor Crest and they stepped out. She flung herself at both of them, hugging each around the neck and laughing. 

The Mandalorian was out of his ship in a flash, weapon held in what appeared to be a casual grip. It was deceptive. He would engage faster than she could blink. She extended a hand to him to stop his advance. 

And of course, at this opportune moment, Ben decided to finally show up. He stood with his arms crossed, observing the hug-o-rama with a passive expression. 

Finn and Poe stepped back from her. Poe faced off with the Mandalorian, and Finn faced off with Ben. Rey stood in the center, hands outstretched. 

"Bounty hunter," growled Poe, weapon drawn. 

At the same time, Finn pointed and yelled, "Kylo Ren!" 

Rey threw up her hands, more annoyed than concerned. Little Yoda stepped out of the Razor Crest, took one look at the scene, and flung his tiny arms wide. All four men landed flat on their asses and skidded a few feet, ghost and humans alike. 

"Stop," he said. 

None of them moved. Little Yoda walked up to Rey and reached for her hand. She leaned down and took it, trying very hard not to smile. 

"It's OK," said Rey, squeezing his hand. "They'll be nice now. And if they don't, you are free to toss them back down."

Little Yoda released his hold on them, and the four got to their feet. Poe and the Mandalorian were looking at Finn. Poe squinted at him, and shook his head.

"Did he say Kylo Ren?" said the Mandalorian. 

Little Yoda rejoined his father. 

Rey turned to Poe and the Mandalorian. "Ben Solo is here. He's a Force Ghost. Finn can see him, and so can the little one. You can't, because you don't have use of the Force."

"How many of these ghosts are there?" said Poe, looking skeptically behind Finn's head in the wrong direction. 

"Just one," said Rey. "There are others, but only Ben is here now. And I'm sorry, but I really need to speak with him. So if you'll all excuse me, this has been exciting. Mando, Finn and Poe are Resistance Generals. Guys, the Mandalorian and his son are my friends, and welcome allies. I'd appreciate it if you all didn't try to kill each other. If you do." She shrugged and motioned to Little Yoda. 

Little Yoda beamed at her, and she nodded in approval. He would make a great Jedi, though he tended to be a bit heavy handed at times. 

Ben turned and walked away, and Rey hurried to catch up. Finn frowned at her when she walked by, but she ignored him. He mumbled something about dangerous men. Now wasn't the time to try to foster a relationship between Finn and Ben. Later. Maybe.

"I'm glad he didn't decide to Force Choke the lot of us," said Ben. 

Rey grinned at him. "That was well done. He neutralized all of you before you could make any mistakes."

"Preemptive action will get him into trouble more often than it will stop it." 

"Perhaps. He'll have to learn as he ages. He is young."

"He's powerful. And violently inclined."

"I suppose you would know about what it's like to be violently inclined and young."

Ben snorted. "Ask Luke sometime about young Ben Solo. He has plenty of stories. Just do it when I'm not around."

"I'm glad to see you like this," said Rey. 

"Like this?" 

"Oh. Yes. I'm glad to see you well." That sounded wrong. And weird. And it was just asking for a follow up, which of course he took advantage of.

"Well? What do you mean."

Her cheeks flushed. "I was just worried about you. That's all." 

I was worried you had somehow figured out how to raise yourself from the dead using the dark side and resumed your Kylo Ren persona. Best left unsaid. 

"Rey," he said, and stopped walking. 

She faced him, studying his gloriously unscarred face. He was still her Ben. "It's nothing."

"It's something. Whatever it is won't kill me."

"That's not even funny."

"It was sort of funny. I have other dead jokes. Do you want to hear them?"

"I just," she stopped, fishing around to find a way to say what had happened that wasn't too embarrassing. 

I've been fantasizing about your alter ego in my sleep? Probably not.

"Remember how we used to be able to be in the same place with the bond? Something like that happened. But it wasn't right. You were your old self. It was just a weird dream."

"How many times?"

"Twice."

His face was blank, and he had gone still again. "I see. Not something to worry about. With all you've been through, I'm surprised you don't have stranger dreams than that."

"I guess."

"Show me some lightning," he said, graciously changing the subject.

Rey glanced back at the men, still standing apart but apparently having a civil conversation. "We should move farther away." She started walking north, away from the Caretakers and her friends

"That bad?"

"That bad. It just scatters. Last time I tried I almost fried some Porgs."

"They probably taste good fried."

"That's awful. Really awful. They are smarter than they look."

"They're birds. Birds are stupid. And tasty."

"They're nothing like seagulls. Those are stupid. The Porgs have families."

"Having a family didn't keep me from being stupid." He grimaced. "Sorry. I know that's a sore spot. If the universe was fair at all, our family situations would have been reversed. Palpatine's grandchild should have gone full evil, and the person raised by the adoring Leia and Han should have ended up saving the day."

Rey didn't want to talk about any of that. She had given up on self-pity ages ago. She raised her hands, closed her eyes, and concentrated. When she opened them, bright bursts of lightning zipped out of her outstretched palms. Ben yelped, and she turned to him.

He rubbed his arm. The cloth of his shirt, his not-at-all tangible shirt, was smoldering. 

"Huh," he said, eyeing her. "I'll back up next time, too. I see what Luke meant. You have no control at all."

"Great," she grumbled. 

"It's OK. We'll fix it. I promise."


	17. The Best Problem

"Finn!" said Rey, joining him and Poe where they sat overlooking the sea. "I told you he wasn't Kylo Ren anymore. Why did you freak out?"

BB-8 was sitting with Poe, having quite the conversation. The droid's opinion of the Mandalorian could not be higher, and he wasn't shy in sharing it.

"Sorry," said Finn. "I forgot. He was standing there, all frowning and arms crossed. He looked kind of scary."

"You're a GENERAL," said Rey. "You're not allowed to be scared of phantasms. And you've seen Obi-Wan and Yoda before."

"Obi-Wan and Yoda don't appear in my nightmares and try to kill me, either," said Finn.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Not that I mind the company."

"We missed you and wanted to visit," said Poe.

Finn coughed into his hand and turned the cough into, "Liar."

Poe shot him a withering look. "We said we'd visit."

"This has nothing to do with that diplomat's daughter who keeps popping up everywhere you go?" said Finn. "Talking on and on...and on about how single she is?"

Poe groaned. "I wanted to see Rey, and it seemed like a good time."

Rey smiled at them both. She missed this friendly banter between them, which often sounded like bickering to those who didn't know them well.

"Still holding out for Zorii?" Rey asked Poe quietly.

He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. She'd seen the exact same face on Ben. Hope and recognition of how foolish it was, all at once.

"She might come around," said Finn.

"Not while I'm in Coruscant," said Poe. "She hates it."

"So," said Poe. "There's some weird stuff going on here."

"I don't know," said Rey. "I'm used to it. You all made quite an entry."

"He's a legendary bounty hunter," said Poe, nodding at the Razor Crest. 

"How do you know?" said Rey. "He always wears that helmet."

"The armor," said Poe. "He's walking around with a fortune strapped to his body. They all wear armor, but not like that."

"He's nice enough," said Rey. "I agree with BB-8. He spars with me, and he's a great father."

"So about that kid," said Finn. "He looks an awful lot like Yoda."

Rey hadn't gotten a straight answer out of Big Yoda. She had asked him as politely as she could if Little Yoda was his biological child, but Yoda had answered that question the same way he answered any other of import she asked. He hadn't. 

"He does," said Rey. "But I don't know any more than you do about that. I asked. I mean, what if you were one of the few humans in the galaxy, at least known to the rest of its residents, and a human kid showed up. They'd all be pointing at you and asking if it was yours. Maybe there's another galaxy in this universe chock-full of Yodas. For all we know, every other galaxy is full of them. What if they all use the Force? Maybe this one got lost." 

"And the other weird thing?" said Finn.

"You mean Ben," said Rey, flatly. 

"Hey," said Finn, holding up his hands to ward her off. "Is he really Ben? How can you know for sure?"

"I know," said Rey. "And we've been through this. If you don't trust me, trust Obi-Wan and Yoda."

"What do you do all day?" said Poe. He was always good for a conversation change if the current one got tense.

"Translate the Jedi texts," said Rey. "Spar with Mando, work with Little Yoda on using the Force. As you saw, he's strong already. I run and try to figure out how to communicate with the Caretakers." 

They still hadn't forgiven her for her previous mistake. And Luke's. She hadn't burned down that tree, after all. They were much quieter about it now, but they still didn't seem eager to teach her their language.

"That sounds busy," said Poe.

Rey shrugged. It was busy. She had missed them, but with the Mandalorian and Little Yoda, and the visits from Yoda and Ben, she hadn't been lonely. 

"So Rey," said Finn. "What about Rose?"

She looked at him, puzzled. Rose? She couldn't figure out what he meant.

"Yeah," said Finn. "You want me to come here and train to be a Jedi. Rose wants to get married."

Oh. 

"Well," said Rey. "I haven't had a chance to talk to Yoda about it. Based on tradition, the answer is no romantic relationships."

"I choose Rose," said Finn. Just like that. She envied him the option of a choice.

"I'd like to change things," said Rey. "Would Rose come here and live with you?"

"Are you kidding?" said Finn. "She'd love it! You're her second favorite person, after me."

"You would forgo a relationship like that?" said Poe. "For this?" He motioned to Ahch-To. 

"It's not a choice I have to make," she said.

"But what if it becomes one?" pressed Poe. "What if you fall in love with the Mandalorian?"

"What if he actually looks like Ackbar?" said Finn, a wide grin on his face.

"Stop it," said Rey. She had wondered what the Mandalorian looked like, but Ackbar had never occurred to her. Now she'd probably giggle when she saw him next and make a fool out of herself. "You're right. I need to think about it. Little Yoda might grow up and go find another Yoda some day. It's not like we have plenty of Force users to fall back on if someone goes off and falls in love."

"I say love and let love," said Finn.

"I, for once, agree with Finn," said Poe.

They glowered at each other, and then burst out laughing.

Maybe she'd ask Ben about it. Though she had a pretty good idea what he'd say.

She had to make the decision. She knew that. Much of the reshaping of the Jedi fell to her, whether she was capable or not. She had to pretend like she had a lover she would lose and what she would do if the choice came down to leaving the Jedi or leaving the relationship. 

She hoped she'd have that choice some day. It sounded like the best problem in the world to her.


	18. Know, I Do Not

Poe made a trip back to Coruscant, and returned with C-3PO. Rey stood beside the newest resident of Ahch-To as the Falcon departed with Finn, Poe, and BB-8 aboard. 

"What are your instructions, sir?" said C-3PO.

"The first is that you don't call me 'sir'," said Rey. "Keep that for the Generals."

He didn't acknowledge the order, just continued talking. "I have identified a pre-Galactic Empire gunship. Are we in danger?"

"No." Rey had forgotten how much he worried. "That's the Mandalorian's ship."

"A Mandalorian! Are they dangerous? They have a violent history."

"You're talking to a Jedi. We aren't going to judge individuals by the violence of their past organizations."

"If you're sure, Master Rey."

"I need help with the Caretakers. Do you speak their language?"

"I am fluent in over six-million forms of communication," said C-3PO.

Rey eyed him. "Does that include whatever language is spoken by the Caretakers?" She could see why he annoyed people. 

"Why, yes."

"Great. Go to the other side of the island and see what you can find out. They don't like me very much."

"I will go, Master Rey. But this place is much too rocky."

"There's a path." She pointed it out. 

"Are they hostile?"

"I wouldn't shoot any permanent structures if I were you. Otherwise, you'll probably be OK."

"Oh," said C-3PO as he walked toward the path. "I do hope they are docile."

"Complains much, he does," said Yoda.

Rey turned to find Yoda standing beside her, watching C-3PO pick his way around rocks. 

"I can deal with complaining," said Rey. "As long as he's helpful."

"Helpful, he is."

"I should have figured out how to communicate with the Caretakers by now."

"Like you, they do not. Do their duty, they will. Researched your question, I have."

Which one? She didn't say anything, just waited for him to continue in his own time.

"My son, the boy is not. Yaddle's son, neither is he. Broke our Oaths, we did not."

"Where do you think he came from?"

"Somewhere else. Where Yaddle and I came from, perhaps. Know, we do not."

"Can I tell the Mandalorian?"

"The boy's father, he is. Tell him, you must. Mhm. Right, that is."

"Do you know where you came from?"

Yoda was quite for a long time. "Know, I do not. Guesses only, I have."

"I understand not knowing where you came from. It's not a comfortable place to be."

"Ah. Comfortable, it is not. A lack of identity, it creates."

It surprised Rey when she found she had things in common with aliens who were so alien from her. Especially this one. He was shrouded in mystery, and would be remembered as one of the pillars of the Jedi Order. She had big shoes to fill.

"Yoda, I wanted to ask you something else."

"Mhm. Many questions, you have."

"Yes, I do. But a few specific ones. Why no relationships? Romantic relationships, I mean."

Good grief. She was starting to talk like him. She gave herself a mental shake.

"A precaution, it is only. Anakin's path, you must remember."

"Did the Jedi always keep that Oath?" She found it hard to believe.

"Keep it, some did not."

"And did they become Darths, like Anakin?"

"Turned to the dark side, only a few."

Rey sat down on the ground, and Yoda joined her, hovering at her eye level. 

"What if I remove that oath?" said Rey, not looking at him. "I understand that it might cause problems. I'm willing to try to work to correct the potential issues in other ways."

"Considered this, we have."

"And?"

"It was not worth the risk, at the time. Different, today is. This decision for you, I cannot make."

"Hm. OK. I just wanted to ask."

"Another problem, I must share with you."

"It must be a bad one, if you're bringing it up without me asking first."

Yoda chuckled. "Know me well, you do. Fading, we are."

"Wait. Fading? Who?"

"Gone already, is Obi-Wan."

"Gone where?"

"Know, I do not. See it if you look closely, you will."

She turned to study him. The usual Force Ghosts appeared with edges as crisp as a living person, only in whites and shades of gray. Yoda was right. His edges were a bit smudged around the outline. 

"But." Rey stopped before her panic showed. 

"Worry, you must not."

"Are you all fading?" Ben. Was Ben fading? She wanted to scream the question at him. 

"Not yet. In the older ones, it has begun. Myself. Mhm. Anakin."

Rey focused on centering and calming herself. She had imagined a lifetime spent with these Ghosts. And after her death, she would join them. She would finally be with Ben. 

But now they would all fade and leave her. And when she crossed over, she would be alone again. Always alone. 

"Sorry, I am. Great anxiety, I have caused you."

"What will I do? How long do you have?"

"Know, I do not. Long enough, I still have."

"To teach me? Start talking. How am I going to do this alone?"

"Alone, you will not be. Come, help will."

"From where?" Her voice had become shrill. 

She swallowed hard and clenched her fists. She was going to cry. She hadn't cried when she'd faced down an army of Sith. But this was too much. Everyone had a breaking point.

"Leave you unaided, we will not. Trust us, you must."

"But, how?"

"Ask the wrong questions, you do."

"How is asking 'how' wrong?"

"Your true concern, it is not."

"I'm too tired for these riddles, Master Yoda. Please speak plainly. What is the right question?"

"Know it, you will. In time. Mhm."

Then, he vanished.

Rey gripped at the grass on the ground around her and tore chunks out of it. These Jedi were infuriating. She would never treat her students this way. She would give straight, honest answers. 

"Is talking to yourselves a Jedi trait?" said the Mandalorian, dropping down beside her.

Yoda had said she didn't ask the right questions. So instead of saying 'What?,' she said, "Why?"

"My son talks to himself on occasion since we arrived here. Just curious." 

Huh. Were the Force Ghosts visiting Little Yoda, too? She'd ask him next time she trained with him.

"It seems like it is a thing we do, Mando. But I wouldn't worry about it."


	19. Fleeting

"Yoda thinks the less time we spend in the living world, the longer we'll remain on the other side," said Ben. 

"He doesn't know," said Rey. "He said as much half a dozen times during our last conversation. He has no idea."

Ben's sad smile caused her throat to tighten. He'd resigned himself to fading. Already, the edges around his shoulders were smudged. 

"None of us know. We never did in life, either. We do the best we can. It's all we can do."

She wouldn't complain. She wasn't the one who's last shadow of life was slipping away. But this was so unfair. All of it. 

"Rey." He reached for her, but his hands made no contact with the tears that slid down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I sometimes think it would have been easier if I hadn't come back to see you."

"I'm glad you did." I'll take you any way I can get you. Even dead. 

"Take more risks. It will be OK." And he vanished. 

Rey stood there for a long time, just breathing. What else could she risk? None of these ghosts made any sense. She felt the change in her surroundings before she opened her eyes. The breeze of Ahch-To abruptly stopped. The sandalwood scent of Kylo Ren's soap and the lack of sunlight was enough confirmation that she was with him again. She kept her eyes closed.

"Why aren't you called 'Darth'?"

"I'm no Sith." 

Rey frowned. "I don't understand the difference."

She knew right where he was, even with her eyes closed. She didn't use the Force enough for tasks her other senses performed. He moved toward her, silent on bare feet. When he stopped in front of her, she reached out and brushed her fingers down his cheek. 

Take a risk. Ask better questions. Right.

"The Sith are essentially Dark Jedi," he said, his tone softening at her touch. "They're a religious order, with as many rules as yours. The Ren are soldiers." 

Rey still didn't see the difference. She supposed there was more gray area in the array of evil organizations that she just hadn't considered. 

"You refuse to join me, yet you come here."

Her first instinct was to ask what he meant. But this situation patterned the others. This person she was with was most definitely Kylo Ren. The things he said didn't make sense to her, though. She opened her yes. 

And immediately wished she had kept them closed. He had apparently just gotten out of the shower, because he was bare save a towel tied loosely around his hips, his dark hair still wet and dripping.

"You missed the shower. You would have been welcome."

"When was the last time you saw me?" 

He raised his eyebrows. Annoyed, and confused. She waited. He turned, walked to his desk, and retrieved the necklace he had snatched from around her neck at the 42-year festival on Pasaana. He dropped it into her outstretched hand. 

"I'm coming for you. Right now."

Rey's breathing had became shallow and rapid. Her face was pale, and she felt a little lightheaded. 

Of all the times to solve a mystery. She had known for months now that the bond worked through space and time. She just hadn't understood what time meant. Time! She was still connected to this man. But they were not always in the same timeline when they met. Which meant this was Ben's past. And her present. 

Which meant that he knew about this. He knew about these encounters. He had specifically asked her how many times her strange 'dream' had happened. He had known, and he hadn't told her anything about it. Yoda probably knew, too. They probably all did. A bright flash of anger brought her round. 

Kylo Ren was watching her with a wary expression. "Rey?"

Ben had told her not to worry about these encounters. They must not end badly. 

She took a step toward him, and he actually backed up. She must look a fright. Take a risk. She dropped the necklace to the floor. It clattered in the silence. 

This time, she backed him into his bed. He sat down, and she shoved him back. Then she crawled on top of him, straddling his hips, and pinned his arms above his head. She had no doubt he was stronger than her, and that he wouldn't tolerate this treatment if he didn't want it.

She kissed him. It was soft, and hesitant, and meant only as a test. In a blink, she was beneath him, and the kiss had become something rougher and more desperate. Time was short, and they both knew it. She could find herself back on Ahch-To at any moment. 

"I want to go slowly," he said between kisses. "I want to take my time with you. To kiss every inch of you."

"Then do it."

"We don't have time." 

If you only knew how true that statement was. 

She helped him with her clothes, enjoying his frustrated growl when he couldn't get them off fast enough. 

He stilled above her. "Are you sure?"

There was Ben. His big, bad dark lord face had finally been replaced by who he really was. Just a man who had covered up his fear and vulnerability with a mask and pretended that had cured it. 

She pulled his mouth back to hers, and kissed him slowly, with all of the passion she felt for him. He sighed and melted against her. Permission given.

She hooked her legs around him and reached down to guide him. As he slid into her, she shivered and dug her fingernails into his back. He gasped against her neck, and slowly, gently, began to move. 

She caught his earlobe between her teeth. "I'm not breakable. No need to be gentle."

And he wasn't. Her body moved with him, and she stopped focusing on who she was, and who he was, and when he was, and allowed her hands to explore his body without any thought for how fleeting this was. Of how this was likely the only time she would ever have this with him. 

The blessed bond allowed her to remain long enough to wring every last bit of release out of him, and for her own body to unravel in glorious waves.

"Promise you'll tell me about this," she murmured afterwards into his chest, as she lay wrapped in his arms. "Promise."

His fingers, which had been tracing gentle circles on her back, stilled. 

Before he could answer, she was plunged into the cold of her hut on Ahch-To, her clothes in a jumbled mess on the floor, her body screaming at the loss of contact with his skin.


	20. Past and Future

"Why didn't you say something?" 

Rey wasn't yelling at him yet, but he assumed she'd get there. His memories of his parents yelling at each other when he was young were distinct, even after all he had been through since then. She was pacing back and forth in front of him, her arms clasped tight across her chest. He stood there and tried to look as bland as possible. He hadn't expected this severe of a reaction. 

"What would I have said?"

She stared at him, her eyes wide in disbelief. He was having a hard time understanding why this upset her so much. When she didn't speak, he decided he might as well get it all out.

"What would you have done? If you had known."

"I don't know."

"That's the point. If you know your future, how can you be sure that information doesn't alter it? Believe me, I had no interest in losing those memories."

Rey threw up her hands. "You should have told me. You could have told me whilst you were Kylo Ren!"

"That's ridiculous, and you know it. Besides, I didn't have any idea what was going on. After...the night you just had with me, it didn't take long for me to recognize that something was off. But I honestly had no idea. This particular situation is uniquely ours, I think."

She scowled at him. Gods above, even that movement of her mouth was insanely attractive. 

"That was the night before Pasaana, where you tried to kill me. Remember? That is in both of our pasts." 

"You could have told me then."

"Should I have waited until you (and let me just interject, that move was bloody brilliant) brought down my ship? Or should I have taken you aside before you started spouting lightning and asked if you always tried to kill men the day after you fucked them? I don't have a lot of experience with women, but when one tries to kill me, I take that shit seriously. No matter how much I want her in my bed."

Her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink, and she stopped pacing. 

"The first time I kissed you was the last time you kissed me. This is very confusing."

The fight had gone out of her, and she looked miserable. 

"I wouldn't change it, Rey. Not for anything. That night was precious. And it started me down a different path. I didn't know you were this Rey, the 'post-Sith destruction, dead Ben' Rey. I just know that after that night, I started thinking of you as something much more than a partner who complimented my power. I wanted you in a different way after that. It scared me. So no. I didn't tell you. Because I couldn't tolerate the idea that if I did, you would change it somehow. Call it selfish. I'll admit that it is. Just don't be too harsh about it. I didn't actually promise, after all."

"A technicality," Rey mumbled, but she uncrossed her arms and stood in front of him. "Was that the last time I go backwards?"

He shrugged, and kept his face blank.

"Can I go backwards at will? I guess if I'm trying now, that's the only direction I could go."

Again, he stood there, unable to answer. Anything he said would effect her decision. Saying nothing might be just as bad. She thought too much about things sometimes.

"Just do what you think is right. That's all you've ever done, and you've been perfect. I think my life would have gone better if I had done the opposite of what I wanted."

"I wish..." She trailed off.

"I wish we could have that again, too." 

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, knowing as he did that it would only make this all the more difficult. He felt nothing. 

He was supposed to be teaching her, but he couldn't bring himself to waste another precious second doing anything of the sort. He would fade soon, and she would be on her own. There wasn't anything more important than just spending time while he still could. Anakin was gone now. The other world had become a lot quieter, even though Anakin hadn't talked much. 

"OK," said Rey. "I'll figure this out."

He frowned at her. "What?"

"This mess we're in. There has to be a solution."

"You'll beat death? Careful, Palpatine's granddaughter."

She snorted. "I obviously can't beat death. But there has to be something. Maybe I could figure out how to go backwards earlier. So we can have more time together."

"Please be careful. You are too willing to place yourself in Kylo Ren's hands. He is more dangerous than you could ever imagine. I can't say what I would have done if you had come earlier. Remember how horribly I behaved the night I came here? It probably would have been worse the earlier you go. I don't want to wake up in the morning with a new set of memories that I regret."

The Mandalorian approached Rey. He glanced right past Ben. 

"Have you seen my son?" 

"No," said Rey. "How long has he been missing? He can't have gone far."

True enough. Ahch-To was tiny. Ben couldn't understand how Luke had lived here for so long. 

"I've been around the island. C-3PO said the Caretakers haven't seen him. He likes those stupid birds, but I don't think he'd try to reach the ones on the cliff faces." 

"I'll help you look," said Rey. She surreptitiously motioned for Ben to follow her. "There are caves below. You don't think he would have gone down there, do you?"

"I told him not to," said the Mandalorian. 

"Would one of the others have done something in training?" she whispered.

The Mandalorian looked back at her. Ben was glad his face was covered. 

"We're not alone," she said to the Mandalorian, and passed a hand through Ben's shoulder.

The Mandalorian grunted.

Little Yoda came running around the top of the hill. "Papa! I'm here!"

Luke and Yoda followed behind him, watching him return to his father. Ben didn't trust either of them. What were they teaching this overpowered terror now?


	21. A Game

Rey stared, shocked into silence, as Little Yoda disappeared again.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Ben.

He walked to were Little Yoda had just been standing, reached forward, and poked the empty space with his finger. Little Yoda flicked back into existence, a wicked grin on his face.

"Choking AND Cloaking?" said Ben to Luke and Big Yoda.

"Mm. Talented, he is," said Yoda.

"That's incredible," said Rey, dropping down to sit closer to eye level with Little Yoda. "Do it again."

Little Yoda complied, and vanished.

"What is this?" said the Mandalorian.

"Force Cloaking," supplied Luke.

Rey repeat him for the Mandalorian's sake. Poor Mando. He was the only one here who couldn't see all of the participants in the conversation.

"Your son is joined by Master Yoda, my teacher, Master Luke, a former teacher," Rey pointed to them as she named them. Not that it mattered. "And Ben is still here."

"Master Ben," he corrected, and she looked up to find a playful smile on his face.

She'd likely call him anything he wanted after few more nights in his bed.

Luke raised his eyebrows, and Yoda smiled his benign smile. Perhaps they knew about her forays into the past after all. Surely Ben hadn't told them what happened, though?

"What are you doing?" said the Mandalorian to his son.

Rey couldn't tell if he was upset. It came out in the same tone he used to ask what Little Yoda wanted for lunch.

Little Yoda looked to Rey, and she shrugged. She didn't have a clue what he was doing, either. She also didn't see any reason not to tell the Mandalorian. The Jedi were going to be a lot less secretive in the future.

"Hiding," said Little Yoda. "It's a game, Papa. Want to play?"

"I can't see his footprints," said the Mandalorian.

"Good attention to detail, he has," said Yoda.

"What footprints?" said Ben and Luke at the same time.

"Is that a function of your helmet?" asked Rey.

The Mandalorian nodded.

"Master Yoda says the boy is hiding them," said Rey. Being a go-between in a conversation where everyone was standing there was weird.

The Mandalorian cocked his head. "Do it again. This time, move, and let me guess where you are before you reveal yourself."

Little Yoda giggled, and blinked out of sight. The Mandalorian counted backwards from ten. Then he moved a handful of paces away from the group and pointed.

Little Yoda's giggles became an outright laughing fit as he appeared again in the exact opposite direction his father had guessed.

"See, Papa? It's a good game! I can beat you!"

"The tactical opportunities...," said the Mandalorian, at the same time Ben said, "If that could be weaponized..."

Rey shot Luke and Yoda her most disapproving glare. "He's a child. He doesn't need to be weaponized or tacticalized or any other nonsense. Why did you teach him this?"

She returned her attention to Little Yoda. "You've done a very good job. Just promise not to hide when we call for you. It makes us worry when we can't find you."

"Sorry, Master Rey," said Little Yoda.

"I'm not angry," said Rey. "I just want you to know that when you do something, even if you think it's a game, another thing you don't expect might happen. It's hard to know what that thing might be, and sometimes people get hurt. Does that make sense?"

Little Yoda nodded. He was brilliant, and more powerful than she could understand, but he was still a child. It was easy to lose sight of that with him. 

"Where were you when I was fourteen, Master Rey?" said Ben. 

"I think I was four," said Rey.

Ben's eyes widened. He probably hadn't realised how much of an age gap lay between them. 

"You are quite a bit older than me, Master Ben." 

"You're not older than me!" said Little Yoda. 

Ben laughed. She loved that sound. It wasn't something she'd heard much of over the past few years.

Yoda cleared his throat. "A student, Rey Skywalker, you still are. Gone, we will soon be. Learn, he must."

"Can you teach him more age-appropriate skills, then?" She looked to the Mandalorian, but he only watched his son and remained silent. 

"Are you OK with this?" she asked the Mandalorian.

"He should be able to use his power. Can you teach him this?"

"No," said Rey.

"In time, she will master it," said Yoda. "Mhm. In time. Other tasks, she must complete." 

Little Yoda pulled a shiny stone from his pocket and held it out to Rey. "I found this for you."

Rey took the offering, surprised by how happy it made her. 

"We should continue our lesson," said Luke. 

"How long have you been here?" asked Rey. "Ben said you would fade sooner the longer you spent."

"About this, do now worry," said Yoda. "Go and return, we will. Except for Ben. Stay with Leia, he will."

Ben exhaled. "I can help, too."

"Not with this," said Luke. "Yoda and I need to work with Rey and her student without any distractions."

"Come back soon, we will," said Yoda. 

Yoda and Luke vanished.

"Are we playing the game?" asked Little Yoda.

Rey smiled at him. "Not this time. Soon, though. Let's wait for them to come back, and teach us whatever it is they think is so important, and then I'll play with you. Maybe I can use the Force to find you."

"They know how to leave when they're ready," said Ben. "I still don't know how."

"Think of the other place," said Rey. "Save your time. Please."

She tried not to think too much about him fading, but she couldn't keep her eyes from drifting to his blurry edges. 

He gave her a sad smile, closed his eyes, and vanished. 

"Alright Mando, what's for dinner?"

She liked to tease him about cooking. Neither of them were very good at it. They'd been experimenting with different kinds of fish lately. 

"Can that droid of yours ask the Caretakers if we can join them for dinner?" said the Mandalorian.

Genius. Surely they knew better about cooking on Ahch-To than anyone else. "Let's go ask." 

Rey led her little band to the other side of the island, where she found C-3PO in conversation with the Caretakers. He waved to them, and Rey approached, hoping they had finally decided to forgive her.


	22. The Story, Repeated

"Tell me again," said Leia. 

Ben scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration. "I've told you twelve times. What else can I say?"

"Again. Exactly as it happened."

"Why are we doing this?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Because I want to understand it, in order. And it's easy to leave things out. Tiny details. I need to know everything."

"I might not have that information. I was afraid. And everyone but Rey was trying to kill me. Can you remember everything when you're trying not to die?"

"Your brain retains information you aren't conscious of in the moment. It filters out unimportant events. But it does recognize them, and remember them. Think."

"Mother. Please stop torturing me."

"Three more times, and I'll stop. I promise."

Leia hadn't started fading yet. She never crossed over. Ben eyed her, wary of her motives.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm listening to your story, dear. Tell it again, please. Last time you mentioned something I hadn't heard before."

"What's the point of having just my side of this? Rey was there, too. She did more than I did."

"I'm going to talk to her after we're done."

Now he was suspicious. "What's going on? You're all trying to pretend like you aren't plotting, but I'm not as stupid as I look. You still can't trust me? We're all going to disappear soon and you still don't think it's worth letting me in on your plans?"

"Oh, Ben." She placed a hand on his cheek. He would never admit it to anyone - well, maybe to Rey - but not anyone else, that he liked this time with his mother. She had sent him away when he was young to train to be a Jedi with Luke, and they hadn't spent much time together since. "We are trying to help Rey. We have several plans, and are hoping one works. I know you're frustrated and don't see the point."

After three more recitations, which had become rote and brainless at this point, she nodded that she was satisfied. 

"I'm going to talk to Rey now."

"Wait a minute. I'm coming with you."

"You act as if you don't trust me with her. Isn't that an odd turn of events."

He trusted Leia with Rey. Sometimes he thought Rey might actually like Leia better than him. 

"You're going to cross over?"

She straightened her spine an held her head in that imperious way that had never quite allowed her to shake off the 'princess' title. She was a tiny woman, but he could see how so many had accepted her leadership. "I am. Else how will I interview Rey?"

"I'll see you on the other side, then." 

Of course, Leia emerged in the land of the living before he did. His life provided endless fodder for the portal to torture him with. He had been a cold-blooded killer, but she had been a politician. Certainly there wasn't that much difference in their damage to the galaxy. 

Rey was beaming at Leia, and Ben had to remind himself again not to be jealous of his dead mother. Then Rey turned that brilliant smile on him, and he exhaled in relief. 

"Tell me about what happened after you breached the debris field on Exogol," said Leia.

Ben stood behind Leia, easily watching Rey over his mother's shoulder. Rey's eyes flicked to his, her brows drawn together. 

"OK," said Rey.

"What plan?" said Ben.

Just like that, Rey trusted Leia. Rey didn't need to know why she had been asked to give the information. Maybe that's what happened when everyone around you wasn't evil and always trying to kill and usurp you. Maybe the Rebels really did trust Leia explicitly. 

Rey's first telling was clinical and succinct. 

"Again, please," said Leia. "This time, tell me how you were feeling."

"You don't have to do this," said Ben, his arms crossed. 

"I do," said Rey. 

And she started over, this time pausing after each event to discuss what she was thinking and feeling. Ben hadn't been aware up to this point that any one person could think and feel so many things at one time. No wonder women were difficult to understand. He hadn't been feeling much during the encounter with Palpatine and the Sith other than 1) don't die until you help Rey kill Palpatine 2) don't let Rey die. He would have been a slobbering, twitching mess if he had experienced half of the emotions Rey did. Leia seemed to understand completely. 

"Very good," said Leia. She turned to face Ben. "I'm done here. I'll leave you two alone for a bit."

Leia vanished. Ben gaped after her.

"Do you have any idea how many times she made me go through that?" he asked.

Rey smiled and shook her head. "More than you wanted, I'm guessing?"

"Fifteen times. Fifteen."

Rey laughed, a bright burst of sound he could listen to all day long. "Sorry. I've spent a lot more time talking to her recently. We are more used to each other's communication. And, you had already given her your account fifteen times, so she didn't need it as many from me."

"She's plotting. I don't know what, but she's planning and scheming. It's what she does."

Rey shrugged. "What can it hurt?"

"You."

"Leia would never hurt me. She wouldn't hurt you, either."

That was true. It sounded true, anyway. He had left Kylo Ren behind, but some of his traits still bubbled up on occasion. He had no reason to be suspicious of Leia or any of the rest of them. 

"Go back, Ben. Please don't waste the rest of your time here."

"This is where I want to be. When my time is up, I want to have spent as much of it with you as I was able."

"Master Yoda and Luke are planning something, too. They've been spending a lot of time with Little Yoda. I hadn't realised how much until I talked with him. He's good at Cloaking. He's actually good at quite a lot of things. I wonder if it's the species?"

"What have they been teaching him?"

And as Rey relayed what the child had told her, Ben began to see the faintest sketch of a plan. A crazy plan, one that had no chance of success. None, whatsoever.


	23. In Motion

"No," said Rey. 

No. Absolutely not. Master Yoda sat on his stool in her little hut, his cane held in front of him, hands resting on the handle. He sighed.

"Try it alone, will you?" said Yoda.

Yoda had asked her to try taking someone else with her when she used the Bond. Since she had no idea where she would pop up in Ben's past timeline, she couldn't be sure it was safe. For her or anyone else. Yoda had pointed out that the Mandalorian didn't appear to be afraid of anything, and that she should ask him to try it. When she had told him that taking a Mandalorian onto a First Order ship was a great way to get lots of people killed, he had shrugged, and agreed that she was likely correct.

Then he had suggested she take Little Yoda. No. He had neatly maneuvered her into this position. There was no way she could take a child with her. She hoped there was no way she could take anyone with her. She couldn't keep them safe. 

"Practice, you must," said Yoda. "Go back, repeatedly. The limits, you must find."

"I'm not opposed to going back to different points in the past. But what if I mess something up? What if I change the future because I go back to the wrong place? I could change everything!"

"Know the future, you do not." 

"But I have the power to change the future. And I don't want it."

"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future."

Rey belatedly realized her mouth was hanging open, and snapped it shut. "But this is the future. This right here." She flung her arms wide, as if he didn't realize she was talking about the present. "I could ruin all of this. I could change some event in the past and end up as the next Sith lord vessel."

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." 

"But," Rey stopped herself from stuttering and spluttering over the word. He was infuriating.

"Practice, Rey Skywalker. Return, I will."

He vanished. 

Rey growled at the vacant space. She actually growled at her master. Well. At the place he had stood, anyway. She considered herself a patient person, but he had pushed her to her limit. Maybe that was the point of why he taught the way he did. 

Ben hadn't returned since his last visit days ago with Leia. She missed him.

Little Yoda had continued to train with Luke and Yoda, and hadn't spent any more time with her explaining what they were teaching him. 

And Yoda was fading fast. She couldn't make out his fingers anymore. His ears were faint smudges. If she looked hard enough, she thought she could make out empty spaces in his abdomen she could see straight through.

She had a general idea of Ben's early timeline. And of his later one, after their first encounter. But the space between, the years he had spent under Snoke and with the Knights of Ren. She was pretty sure she needed to avoid that at all cost. Stepping back into the more recent past was what she had accidentally done several times now. Instead, she focused on the part of Ben's life he had spent with Luke, before he had become Kylo Ren. 

She opened her eyes and found herself in a dense forest. The trees were so big she wouldn't have been able to wrap her arms around one and touch her hands together. She sucked in a sharp breath and stepped behind a tree as a young Ben Solo, his back to her, stilled in his staff practice. He turned, but she made it behind an oak trunk in time. 

He frowned, and closed his eyes. He was about fourteen in this timeline, closer to her age now than he was in their present. He had reached his full height, but he was much thinner. He hadn't yet put on the muscles she would come to very much enjoy. 

"What are you?" he said, his voice nearly a whisper.

Rey froze, and willed herself back to her present on Ahch-To. It took a few seconds, but she snapped back into her own body. That was close. Too close. 

Had he really felt her just then? Did he know she was alive in fact as a child at that time, too? She wasn't sure the Bond worked without the Force, and she hadn't been aware of the Force until she was much older. 

Repetition verified mastery. She went back again, and immediately moved behind a tree. Ben was there, his back to her, swinging his staff at another tree like a madman. He stopped again, his head tilted to the side. 

She was going to give him a complex if she kept appearing here and vanishing. 

Back on Ahch-To, she took deep breaths. Perhaps she could control the bond. 

She worked through the timeline, and appeared on Kylo Ren's command ship, on the command deck, with a slew of First Order pilots and soldiers surrounding her. Kylo's eyes widened, soldiers raised blasters all around her, and she pulled herself back to her present before they could fire. Not that they'd likely hit her. They really did have terrible aim. 

Holy shit, that was close. 

And a little bit too early. She hadn't yet slept with him. 

If she didn't accidentally appear in his timeline when he was alone on the first try, she wouldn't be able to come back to that same spot. 

She finally found a moment when he was alone in a practice room, swiping at a flying training droid with his lightsaber. This was after their night together, and he seemed pleased to see her. She appeared right in front of him. He retracted his weapon at the sight of her. 

"I'm working on something," she said. "Will you help me?"

He grabbed her face and pulled her against him, kissing her thoroughly. Breathless, she put a palm on his chest and pushed herself back. There was a plan. She had a lesson to learn. 

"If you reward me for my help, I will provide it."

"Deal," she said, and returned to Ahch-To. 

She repeated this exercise many more times than was strictly necessary, but one could never over-practice.


	24. A Box of Tools

"Master Rey?" Little Yoda pushed her door open and poked his head in. 

She had been so absorbed in the text she was reading that she hadn't heard his knock. 

She waved him in and finished the section she was reading.

He sat on Big Yoda's stool. It was a bit of a struggle for him to get up onto it, even though it was short. 

"Are you going to leave, too?"

"Do you mean like Master Yoda and Master Luke?" 

He nodded.

"No. I might die, I suppose. But they are ghosts, shadows of who they used to be."

An important part of working with Little Yoda was that he needed time to think about what she said. His brilliant brain was currently working through her comments, fitting pieces into other pieces, working out an understanding for himself. And likely an accurate idea of how the current situation would effect the future. 

After a long wait, where Rey was tempted to return to her book, Little Yoda slid off of the stool. "Can I show you the game?"

Rey stood and followed him outside. 

"I'm good at Cloaking." 

He wasn't bragging. In this he was his father's true son. The Mandalorian never boasted, though he had plenty a right to do so. 

"I know you've been working hard."

"Master Yoda said I can help you if I'm good at it."

Rey froze. This again.

"It's OK, Master Rey. Master Luke said you would be mad. He said if I could prove that I'm good, I could help you."

"Help me with what?"

Little Yoda shrugged. She couldn't tell if he didn't know, or didn't want to tell her. "Will you play the game with me?"

"The search and find game?"

He nodded, and smiled. "I bet you can't find me. Papa can't."

"How high should I count?"

"Twenty." 

He disappeared. She counted out loud, giving him time to hide. She looked first with her eyes, which revealed nothing. Then she searched with the Force, pressing out into the surrounding island. She methodically divided it into sections and searched each one. 

"I think the only way I can find you is if I walk right into you." She hoped to draw out a giggle to give her some clue. 

He became visible again, just a few paces away from her. 

"I want to show you something else. Let me get Papa."

Off he ran to retrieve his father. The Mandalorian nodded to her in greeting.

"Now find me and Papa."

Rey closed her eyes again and counted to twenty.

It really was remarkable how well Little Yoda had hidden them. She stretched out every sense she had. That Little Yoda could Cloak himself made sense. But to Cloak another? That was much harder. 

C-3PO approached her from over the hill on the other side of the mountain. "Master Rey! I've made some discoveries while speaking to the Caretakers. Master Rey?" He waved his arm at her. 

She glanced up in time to see him trip over nothing and tumble to the ground.

"Oh, my! The rocks here are very intrusive."

Little Yoda did giggle then. He dropped the Cloaking and beamed at Rey.

"He's good at it," said the Mandalorian. 

Rey wondered if he smiled under that helmet. He still hadn't brought it up, and neither had she. 

"Yes, he is," said Rey. Why had Master Yoda and Master Luke taught him this?

Little Yoda approached C-3PO, and used the Force to lift him to his feet.

"Oh no," said C-3PO. "Do be careful."

"Master Jedi, may I have a word?" said the Mandalorian.

"Sure," said Rey. 

Little Yoda walked back to the Razor Crest with C-3PO, apparently having asked him a question about the Caretakers. Maybe Little Yoda could figure out how to communicate with them so she didn't have to. At least he didn't tower above them. 

"I am an old man," he said. "My son will still be a child after I die."

"I'm sure you have plenty of time ahead of you." 

"My son talks to your Ghosts."

"Yes. They've been teaching him."

"Some of what they've been teaching him has worried him greatly. And so it has worried me."

"I'm sorry. I'm sure it wasn't their intention to worry him. I honestly don't know much about what they've been teaching him."

"They talk to him about the past and the future. He tells me. At least, he tells me his understanding of what they say."

"I see."

"Do not hesitate to involve my son in restoring what belongs to you."

Rey sighed. "I'll think about it."

"If a person takes something from you, and you are able, take it back."

If you are able. That was the kicker, right there. 

"Thanks." Rey patted his arm and walked back toward C-3PO and Little Yoda.

He had hidden himself and the Mandalorian remarkably well. Even using the Force, she was unable to locate them. C-3PO had done it by pure accident. 

None of the Ghosts returned. Rey finally joined Little Yoda again. He stood on a high bluff, hurling stones into the sea. 

"What do Master Yoda and Master Luke want me to do?"

"I don't know. They said you will know."

"But I don't know."

"They said you would say that, too."

He hurled another rock. He cheated when it fell shy, pushing a bit of wind beneath it to boost it out over the rocks into the whitecaps. 

She thought and thought, about everything that had been said to her. And when she returned to her little hut, she picked up the Jedi text that discussed twisted uses of the Force. Cautionary tales. A chill ran down her spine. The last assignment Yoda had given her was that specific section. It discussed using the dark side of the Force to take another person's life essence. 

That's essentially what her grandfather had done to both of them. Taken their life essence. He had left Ben so depleted that he didn't have enough left for himself after he restored her life. 

If a person takes something from you, you should take it back. The Ghosts weren't going to tell her or Ben what they were up to, because they didn't want to vastly alter and interfere with the future. But Leia had focused on that last battle with Palpatine, where Ben died. And she finally started to understand what they might be suggesting, without outright stating it. Without altering fate too much. Just a box of tools, waiting to be used in the right order.


	25. A Goodbye

"This is the last time you will see me," said Leia. 

Rey sat facing her former general, her leader, the only real mother figure she had ever known. She tried not to cry, but gave up after the pressure behind her eyes was too much to bear. She didn't want her last memories of Leia to be shrouded in grief. 

"Oh, dear one, I know this is hard. But it is time."

"What am I going to do?"

She didn't bother to swipe the tears away. They tumbled down her cheeks and dropped onto her shirt.

"You're going to do what you must. The legacy of the Jedi lies in your very capable hands. I know you're worried. None of us are."

"But." She didn't have words for how overwhelmed she felt. 

"Luke and Yoda will not return, either. They send their regards."

"Why aren't you coming back? Are you all fading so fast?"

"We have placed our bets, so to speak. Now we let the chips fall where they may." 

"I don't understand any of you."

"I know. I felt much the same way when I began my journey. The trick is to start walking, even if you can't see the path. Trust those who go before you. They sometimes leave footprints."

"Fine."

"I wanted to talk through something with you. It's important."

"OK. I'm not going to understand it though, am I?"

"Oh, I don't know about that. You're clever. What would have happened if my son had not died on Exegol?"

"I suppose I'd be dead now, and he would be alive."

"Imagine the Resistance searching through the rubble and finding Ben alive."

Goose bumps broke out all over Rey's skin. "That wouldn't have gone well."

"I don't think so, either. I'm not sure if he would have survived. Even if you and he both had. I would like to think that the Resistance would have captured him alive and offered him some kind of trial. But even then. Rey, would any court have dismissed his crimes? Even with proof of his conversion?"

"No," Rey whispered. 

Leia nodded. "I agree. He is a criminal. Regardless of why. Regardless of his conversion. He caused too much damage to be allowed to live. He would have died had he given his life for you or lived to be executed as a war criminal. I don't think that's why he healed you. I don't think it even occurred to him. We've talked at length these past months."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to think about it. I know you have plenty to think about already, but add this to the bucket."

Rey had known from the start that this conversation wouldn't make any sense. What was the point? She didn't want to spend her last time with Leia being upset with the woman. So she nodded. 

Leia folded her hands together. "You have been the daughter I didn't know I needed. I am proud of you. Always remember that."

Rey wanted to reach out and grab her, but it was pointless. Leia smiled, and vanished. 

Rey thought about screaming. She hadn't learned enough. And she had never been so aware of how alone she was. 

She could return to Coruscant and try to integrate into life there. Again. Last time hadn't been a success, but maybe now that she'd put some space between the last effort, she could succeed. 

She looked at the passage on life essences again. Palpatine had perfected his method, utilizing the accumulated knowledge of countless Sith. She had a passage in a dusty old book, zero practice, and a moral inability to practice even if she did have a subject. 

Leia hadn't said whether or not Ben would come back. She had only mentioned herself and the others. 

She left her hut and went to the Razor Crest. She knocked before she entered. The ship was in good shape for its age. The Mandalorian and Little Yoda were playing a game of Dejarik. It looked like Little Yoda was winning. 

They both looked up as she entered, but she sat down and motioned for them to finish. 

"Something on your mind?" asked the Mandalorian once the game had finished. 

"I wanted to talk you through a situation that happened in the past," said Rey. "I need some help understanding it. And I need some feedback on a crazy idea."

"And my help?" said Little Yoda.

Rey took a deep breath. "Maybe. But only if I can be sure, without any doubt, that it will be safe."

"Impossible," said the Mandalorian. "Even with the best possible plan, things go wrong. Tell us about it. We will do the best we can."

The Mandalorian offered her a huge sheet of paper and a chalk pencil, which was so antiquated it was adorable. And Rey began talking. She drew the entrance to the Sith arena, and the arena itself. Ben had told her his side of the story before, so she had some idea where Palpatine had Force Pushed him into the crevice. The timing wasn't accurate, and the Mandalorian had a lot of questions she couldn't answer. 

She also told them about her strange connection to Ben Solo - Kylo Ren, and how she could go back in time. 

The Mandalorian shook his head when she finished. "Being a Mandalorian is a lot easier than being a Jedi."

"I'm going to be both!" said Little Yoda. 

Rey wasn't sure how much of the conversation he had actually understood. 

"I need more information," said the Mandalorian. "I need to know how long these events take. I need to know EXACTLY when they happen. I need to know where those Sith soldiers you killed came from, and where their bodies landed. Was their Lightning? What happened after your boyfriend came up out of the pit? That kind of thing."

"How am I supposed to do that?" said Rey.

"You just told me you can go back in time," he said. "Go back and find out."

She gaped at him, not quite understanding.

"I don't know how to do that. And I'm pretty sure I would have noticed myself standing in that Sith arena, watching myself."

Little Yoda turned his huge eyes on her. "Not if you were invisible."


	26. Phase One

Rey paced back and forth, working through the steps she needed to take. She didn't know enough. When she actually thought through what it would really take to go back into the Sith arena, it horrified her that before Mando started questioning her, she thought her only issue was not being seen.

The Mandalorian watched her pace. 

Little Yoda had retreated to the other side of the island to play his game with some of the Caretaker children. They found it uproariously funny when he disappeared and reappeared where they weren't expecting him. 

"Why do you trust me?" she said, stopping in front of the Mandalorian.

He cocked his head to the side. "Why wouldn't I?"

She didn't have a good answer for that. "I'm going to figure out Phase One. I'll let you know when I'm ready for Phase Two."

She returned to her little hut. There was no telling whether she'd return from Phase One clothed, and didn't want to have to explain anything else. She might have glossed over some of the finer points of her interactions with Kylo Ren in her excursions to the past. The Mandalorian seemed to understand it anyway, but Little Yoda was still a child. 

Phase One involved Rey trying to figure out how to go back to the same point in time, but appear in different places in the surroundings with each return. As the Mandalorian had pointed out, if she popped up in the Sith arena right in the middle of all of the Sith, there would be complications. 

She didn't need any more complications than having no idea what she was supposed to do once she got there. And she was too afraid to alter the future by making multiple attempts to change the events as they happened

Rey reached out toward the Bond, and to her dismay, landed in ice cold water. She thrashed and spluttered, inhaling liquid instead of air. Two big hands slid beneath her arms and pulled her out. She dropped onto rough wooden boards, gasping and coughing out water. 

When she got her bearings, she saw that she was on a dock that extended into a shimmering blue lake. Kylo Ren squatted down in front of her.

"Now that was an entrance."

Once she got a few deep breaths, her panicked mind calmed enough to alert her that she had no idea when she was, and that she better find out before they started fighting. 

The look on his face assured her more than anything. This had amused him greatly. 

"Hi," he said.

"The water is cold."

"I'm aware. You really just use the Bond to cross over without looking?"

She frowned. "What do you mean, without looking?"

"I look first. Remember when you appeared on the command deck? I thought you were insane. Or hell-bent on making an entrance." 

Now that she thought about it, anytime he had come to her, she had always been alone, in a safe space. 

"How do you look?" 

"Take those clothes off before you freeze." 

The air was frigid. Not cold enough that she could see her breath, but cold enough that she probably would freeze if she stood in wet clothing for too long. He walked up the dock and toward a small ship up a rise. She thought about going back to Ahch-To and getting dry first, but she traipsed along behind him.

"I'll come with you if you teach me how to look first."

He gave a lazy wave of his hand, not turning. She jogged to catch up with him. 

"Why are you here?"

"I like this place. It's quiet. I come here sometimes when my duties become...heavy."

"It's nice."

"Yes. I haven't tried the swimming. Do you recommend it?"

Had he just made a joke? She rubbed her arms and looked up at him. That was Ben's smile, but his eyes weren't quite right. He was still guarded, still cautious as Kylo Ren. It made her deeply sad. 

"I need your help. Can you teach me how to look before I leap?"

"Why?" He pulled out a big, dark gray towel and handed it to her. She was so cold that her finger tips had begun to turn a faint, dusky blue. 

"I don't like swimming."

"Strip," he commanded. 

"I've had pretty good luck in the past. Finding you alone, I mean." She wasn't sure if he could understand her through her chattering teeth.

"I'm often alone. And you've been lucky."

"You didn't hang out with Hux?"

He snorted. "Oh yes, he was my best friend. We did everything together."

All she could do was shiver, so he took over the task of peeling the sopping wet clothes off and tossing them in a soggy heap on the metal floor. He wrapped the towel around her, squeezing the water from her hair and toweling off her face. 

"You're a mess," he said. 

He wrapped her tightly in the towel and worked on rubbing some warmth back into her skin.

"I assume you're not up for a visit to the First Order? There's a warm shower."

"I'm good." Her teeth still chattered, and she bit her tongue. "Ouch." 

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. 

"There's a pause," he said. "The space of a breath where I can see your face, but I can also see what's around you. You're thinking too much about me, and not where I am." He kissed her. "Which you should continue to do. I like it that you think about me."

"Until I land in cold water and drown."

"Mm. Not many opportunities for swimming on Jakku, I bet."

She was so tired. The water had siphoned off all of her energy with her body heat.

"I need to practice."

"You practice too much. We could do other things instead."

"Later. I'll come back." She wriggled out of his grasp, and he reluctantly released her.

"As long as you keep the towel on."

"Go somewhere different so I can practice."

She returned to Ahch-To, waited a few minutes, and went back to Kylo Ren. With two more repetitions, she could take that breath and use it to view his surroundings, appearing as near or far from him as she wanted, as long as she could see him.

"What if I had just jumped and you'd been in a small spacecraft. Would I have landed in space?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't do that."

Her last return landed her beside him in the tiny little cot in the ship's cabin, and that's where she stayed.


	27. Phase Two

The 'look before you leap' business turned out to be a little more stalkerish than Rey would have preferred. The first thing she did was sift through scene after scene in Kylo Ren's past for the perfect test scenario. She needed him unconscious. That thought made her feel even more skeevy. She needed him unconscious, and preferably drunk, so there was no risk he'd wake. 

How many times had he done this to her? Just peeked in whenever he felt like seeing her without her notice? That made her feel a little better. All's fair. 

She knew he drank. He'd given her wine himself. But he apparently never did it in excess. She settled on a scene where a very tired, bruised, and bloodied Kylo Ren dropped onto his bed, clothes still on. He seemed exhausted enough not to wake as soon as she stepped into the room. She tested it, just for a few seconds, and he remained where he was, deep in sleep.

Little Yoda and the Mandalorian had been busy. When Rey joined them outside, the boy waved to her and held up a strip of cloth.

"I'm done with the harness," said the Mandalorian. "It looks good. Are you ready to try?"

"Yes," said Rey. "As long as you are both still sure."

"I'm sure!" said Little Yoda, hopping back and forth in excitement. "This is gonna be awesome!"

The Mandalorian reached down and lifted his son, placing him on Rey's back. Then he began the process of wrapping the boy to her. He still had use of his arms, and could move his head. If he stretched, he would be able to see over her shoulder.

"Do you remember our rules?" said Rey. 

"Rule number 1:," said Little Yoda, "No use of the Force. Rule number 2: Stay veeeeery quiet. Rule number 3: Keep us both invisible, no matter what."

"That means no Choking," said the Mandalorian, and Rey felt Little Yoda's chest bump into her back as he laughed. 

"Yes, Papa."

"He seems to think that if they don't know where a trick is coming from, it will be OK," said the Mandalorian. 

"When you play games with the other children," said Rey, "that's just fine. But not now. We will be in terrible danger. We cannot do anything that will draw attention. We have to be sneaky."

"OK," said Little Yoda. "I'm sneaky."

Rey nodded to the Mandalorian, and he saluted them. 

"We're Cloaked," said Little Yoda.

Rey had never practiced taking someone with her through the Bond. It either worked or it didn't. They were about to find out. She stepped out into Kylo Ren's room. He was still passed out on his bed, his breath coming in deep, even intervals. Little Yoda was still fastened securely to her back. 

"Let's read the stuff on his desk," whispered Little Yoda.

"Rule number 2!" whispered Rey. 

He laughed again, but it was a silent laugh made of body shakes alone. 

She thought about leaving, but she had to know for sure. She walked over to the desk, and pushed a book off onto the floor. It hit with a loud crack, and Kylo Ren was on his feet, weapon drawn in the span of a heartbeat. He was inhumanly fast. 

He looked around the room, focusing on the book. Not on them. Rey held her breath. Kylo walked over, picked up the book, and put it back on the desk. He retracted the lightsaber, clipped it back to his side, and lay down again to sleep.

Rey took them back to Ahch-To. A tight spool of anxiety slowly unwound itself in her chest. It had worked. Little Yoda was safe, and they were back. 

"Success?" said the Mandalorian when Little Yoda released the Cloaking.

Rey nodded.

"Papa, we were on a space ship in the bad man's room whilst he slept. He didn't even know we were there!"

"Are you ready to go to Exegol?" asked the Mandalorian.

"No." She was afraid. And she wasn't too proud to admit it. Exegol was a nightmare. 

"Phase 2 must be completed before Phase 3," said the Mandalorian, likely the most unhelpful thing he had ever said to her.

"I know. I do. I just need a minute."

Rey had found Ben on Exegol. Just once. She hadn't looked at anything around him, but now she did. The bodies. Sith bodies, everywhere. And so much blood.

"It's going to be scary," she said to Little Yoda for the fiftieth time that day. 

"I'm brave."

"I'm brave, too. But I'm still scared. OK, let's go. This time, we're just observing. Let's see what happens."

"Phase 2, ready," said Little Yoda. 

Rey had to keep a tight hold on her panic as they stepped into the Sith arena. It was darker than she remembered. And her grandfather - what a horror. She wanted to shield Little Yoda from all of this, but at the same time, Palpatine made an excellent case in point for not using the dark side. 

They were a good distance from the throne. Ben had just entered at the end of her fight with the Sith. She watched it unfold, worse than she had remembered. So much time lapsed between Palpatine using the Force to Push Ben into the crevice. She watched her battle with Palpatine, watched herself struggle against him, and kill him, and watched as she died. Watched Ben crawl out up and out. Watched him hold her, and then place his hands on her to heal her. The kiss. And his death. 

She stood rooted in place, tears slipping down her cheeks. This was awful. The fewer time she had to see it, the better. When she finally had control of her breathing, she returned them to Ahch-To.

The Mandalorian waited patiently, as if she hadn't just taken his child into mortal danger. 

"Plan change," said Rey. 

"It was bound to happen," said the Mandalorian. 

He unstrapped Little Yoda and they all returned to her drawings on the table in the Razor Crest. Mando placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Can it be done?" he asked.

"Maybe," she said. "But I cannot get close enough to take the life essence away from Palpatine. I cannot tolerate the risk."

"Is that not a critical part of the plan?" asked the Mandalorian.

"I don't think so," said Rey, thinking hard. I don't think it is. At least I hope it isn't.


	28. Phase Three

"I can't get near Palpatine when all of that mess goes down," said Rey. "There's no clear path. It's chaos, everywhere."

"Alright," said the Mandalorian. 

He didn't seem convinced. And that was fine. Rey had been told over and over to trust her instincts. Now, her instincts told her that she didn't need to get near her grandfather and take back the life essence he had stolen from her. She didn't think it was a finite resource, to be used and lost forever. Since then, hers had been restored.

She still had to consider Little Yoda's safety. Putting him in harm's way for an outside chance she could reclaim what Palpatine had stolen was not worth it. 

To be honest, she didn't want to get anywhere nearer that old creeper than she had to. 

"We just need to snatch his body and get out of there," said Rey. 

"Won't the past you think something is wrong?" said the Mandalorian.

"I don't think so. I think if we coordinate it right, Ben goes invisible, and then we return. Past me doesn't understand what happens to him at first, only that he disappears." 

I was so shocked and numb when it happened that I don't think I would have noticed. 

"What are you going to do when you get back here?" said the Mandalorian.

"Try to revive him. He'll only have been dead for a few seconds. How long can a body go without breath and heart beats before it is truly dead? I must have lain there for at least a few minutes before Ben revived me."

"A handful of minutes. Five or six, at the most."

Five minutes wasn't a long time to puzzle her way through restoring life to a body. 

The Mandalorian noticed her hesitation. "You don't have to do this now. The past isn't going to change."

"I do have to do it now."

She couldn't explain her urgency any more than she could explain her working understanding of life essence being infinite and replenished over time. The Ghosts disappearing indicated to her that she couldn't wait. The past might not change, but the future was in constant flux.

When she and Little Yoda stepped back into time, she placed herself near the spot where her dead body would fall. 

They revisited three times, to make sure they had timing just right. Ben disappeared so fast after his death. 

Rey held onto Little Yoda with a vice grip as he reached out and placed his fingers on Ben, rendering him invisible. Rey touched Ben's shoulder, already pouring healing into him. She sent it in a torrent, with no thought but to restore his life. She had plenty of her own to give. 

"Ready to go back?" she said to Little Yoda. 

The boy nodded. It was tricky for him to vanish the body and not the clothing around it, but as Master Yoda had said, he was talented and powerful. Rey couldn't tell that any of them were invisible. She had to trust this child. 

She gripped Ben's shoulder tightly, pushing the last of the life essence she had except for the barest sliver she needed to remain alive, and returned to Ahch-To.

The Mandalorian caught her before she fell. Her body was limp. He laid her down on the ground and removed Little Yoda from her arms. 

"Ben?" she said, looking around as best she could.

Little Yoda hugged the Mandalorian's leg. 

"It's just the two of you," said the Mandalorian. 

Rey struggled to sit up, frantically searching around her. 

"Is he still invisible?" she asked, swiping at the air around her.

Little Yoda took her hand, and shook his head. "Let's go back. Let's see what happened."

They returned to Exegol. Stood back again and watched it all over. This time, when Little Yoda put his hand on Ben to Cloak him, he looked up at Rey with wide, alarmed eyes. 

"He's not there," said Little Yoda. To demonstrate, he pushed his hand through the neck hole of Ben's shirt. It entered with no resistance.

Rey returned herself and Little Yoda to Ahch-To. She choked down a sob. No, no, no! This was all wrong. She had put enough life essence into him that he should be here. Alive, and here. But he was not here, and he wasn't there, either. 

"Master Rey," said Little Yoda. "I'm sorry. I think I did something wrong."

"It's not your fault," she said. "I couldn't bring him back. I failed."

I failed. I failed, I failed, I failed. She buried her face in her hands and wept. 

Little Yoda put his head on her shoulder and cried with her. 

"Let's try again," said Little Yoda.

But Rey knew they couldn't. If she kept stepping back into the timeline and trying to change it, she would make a mess. She'd heard enough caution from Leia and Yoda that she understood the gravity of that kind of behavior. She understood that she didn't have even the slightest idea of the consequences of her actions. 

She lay down on the ground and stared up at the overcast sky. Little Yoda left with his father, who had mercifully not asked any questions. He would try to figure out what had gone wrong. He was a tactician at heart, and a plan gone askew was a worthwhile puzzle.

Why could she move Little Yoda through time with her and not Ben? Or Ben's body, she supposed. She'd given enough intentional life essence meant for healing that he should have been alive. He should have been alive and here with her. 

It was time to stop focusing on this before it became an obsession and drove her mad. She had done her best. She couldn't justify exposing herself or Little Yoda to any more risk in this long shot. 

Rey allowed herself another few moments of self-pity, stood, and shook it all off. The Force was not something she understood well. It seemed to do as it pleased, despite the user's best effort to control it. She was weak from her expenditure on Exegol. Weak, and defeated.

A crippling pain exploded in her belly, and she doubled over and dropped to the ground, the wind knocked out of her.


	29. Cold

Leia and Yoda stood in front of the portal. They refused to move. He hadn't yet resorted to any sort of physical intervention yet. Mostly, he had argued and reasoned and blustered. And still, they refused to move. 'We have our reasons.' 'Trust us.' Same old bullshit, over and over.

He hadn't seen Rey in days. By now, she would have stepped back in time to visit him on the remote moon on the Dagobah system, where he had built a dock into the frigid pond. He had built that dock with his hands. It was worthwhile to do manual labor sometimes. 

Days into this eternal stand off, Yoda had perked up from his meditation. "It is time."

Ben stood and waited. There wasn't any use in demanding information before his elders decided to give it. 

Leia took his hands in hers, and kissed his cheek. "You are the best thing I ever did. Remember that I love you."

"Are you fading?" He was surprised by his level of alarm at this. 

"Yes, dear," said Leia.

"Go now, we must," said Yoda.

"Why now?" said Ben. 

"It's time," said Leia. "We cannot help you after this. Your road will be difficult, and we don't know where it will end. But we have done everything we can for you."

"Where you are led, you must go," said Yoda, as he seized Ben's arm. 

Leia grabbed his other arm. The walked toward the portal, and he felt a cold shiver run through extremities. 

Then, they threw him in.

There were not tests this time. He stumbled out of the portal into the hell that was Exegol. He was being propelled forward, unable to turn one way or the other. His ghost form drew near to the still body on the ground. His dead, naked body.

It pulled him in. He felt his spirit settle into his flesh again, and sat up with a groan.

The planet was cold. All around him lay the bodies of dead Sith, shriveled with decay. He stood, testing his balance. His arms and legs moved like he remembered. He scrubbed at his face, and pinched himself. Alive. His body was alive, and he was inside of his flesh again.

What the hell.

Leia and Yoda, and likely the rest of them, had done something, and not bothered to tell him about it. That was just like them, withholding information and making decisions on his behalf. 

He needed some clothing. The rotten Sith smelled atrocious, so he left them and their decaying clothing where it lay. While the bodies remained, the weapons were gone. 

No clothing, no weapons. And no water. 

He left the cavern where Palpatine had killed Rey. That must have been some time ago. The smell of battle no longer lingered in the air.

The lift still worked, and he returned to the planet's surface. It was so dark on this planet. Better a desert planet in the dark than the blazing sun, though. He would freeze to death here instead of dying from heatstroke. It was a marginally better death. From what he could see, the surface was littered with the debris of a massive space battle. 

He began to pick his way through the chunks of metal. There were pieces of ships, burned and compressed on impact. The chances of some clothing surviving such a scenario were slim. But what else did he have to do? He expanded his search, heading for the larger shapes. 

Tiny pieces of rock and metal cut his feet. They were very cold, but not cold enough to keep the bite and sting from registering. He shivered so hard his teeth clacked against each other in a steady rhythm. 

This planet was a pit. It was perfect for a Sith stronghold. No one in their right mind would ever come here.

He rounded a particularly large section of intact ship, hopeful it might at least provide some shelter from the bitter cold, and froze. 

A group of five aliens scavenged through the debris, picking out reusable parts and collecting them on a hovercraft. One looked up and saw him, and he was plunged into a standoff with five blasters. He raised his hands in the universal sign for surrender. Had he been rested, he might have tried to fight them. But he was battered and bruised from his fight with Palpatine, and he had no weapon. 

Sometimes he missed his helmet. It translated for him, for one thing. Now, he listened to the aliens talking to each other, unable to determine the content of the conversation. The tone was clear enough. They couldn't agree on what to do with him, but none of them were happy. He wouldn't be making any friends here. 

The leader had the last word, and it was loud and final. Ben knew he couldn't run. His feet were a bloody mess, and he was stiff now that he'd stopped moving for so long in the cold. 

He waited, hands held high, as the leader cautiously approached. The alien said something, and then repeated it at a louder volume, as if this would provide a magical cure to their language barrier. 

When he motioned for Ben to move, aiming the blaster at him, Ben thought for a moment about taking the weapon. But he couldn't. That was a Kylo Ren move, and he wasn't that man anymore. He didn't have rage enough to kill these people and steal their ship. 

When he hesitated for a moment too long, the leader motioned for two of his friends to approach. Then he kicked Ben in the stomach, which knocked the wind from him and left him crumpled in a heap on the sand.

Kicking a naked, unarmed, surrendering man was a low blow, and didn't bode well for his future prospects with these people. It was something he would have once done. You can never be too sure about an adversary, and it's best not to underestimate them. Maybe he still looked like Kylo Ren. Maybe even naked and shivering, they could tell he was dangerous.

Two of the aliens pulled him to his feet, and dragged him off toward their ship.


	30. A Mess

Rey settled back into her normal routine of working with Little Yoda and the Mandalorian, and trying to learn the Caretaker's language. She accumulated a variety of random injuries, including a black eye and a bunch of awful cuts on her feet. The Mandalorian went so far as to ask her if she was engaged in some sort of self-injurious behavior and offered to 'talk it out' if she needed it. 

Five days after her failed attempt to bring Ben back to Ahch-To, Poe Dameron arrived with the Falcon. Rey smiled and ran to meet him, glad for a visit. When she saw his face, her smile dropped away. He was as grim as she had ever seen him. 

"I need you to come with me," said Poe. 

"What happened? Are Finn and Rose OK?"

"Yes. Who punched you?"

"Just an accident. I do train with weapons, you know."

"I think it's best if we talk about it back in Coruscant. Can you leave now?"

"I can't leave. I'm training Little Yoda and working on the Jedi texts."

Poe caught her hands in his and squeezed them together. "Please, Rey. I need you. It's important. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't. I know you're busy. "

She looked at him long and hard. Then she sighed. "Fine. Let me talk to Mando. I can't just disappear."

When she entered the Razor Crest, she found Little Yoda and the Mandalorian eating dinner.

"I need to leave for a little while. You're welcome to come with me. Poe needs me in Coruscant."

"We're not going there," said the Mandalorian. "Too many people."

"OK." She was a little disappointed. It would have been nice to have more friends there. "I'll send word if I'll be gone for longer than a week. I don't know what's happening, and Poe doesn't want to talk about it." 

She hugged Little Yoda and nodded a goodbye to the Mandalorian. They would be fine. "I'll leave C-3PO to help you with the locals."

She gathered what few things she had, including two of the Jedi texts, placed them into a sack, and boarded the Falcon. A few porgs had stowed away while Poe was talking to her, and the man was so distracted he didn't even notice. Rey gently lifted them and returned them outside. She waved to Little Yoda, who watched her as the ship closed.

Poe's silence was unnerving. He wasn't usually a talker - that was Finn. But he wasn't this quiet, either. She tried several more times to engage him, but finally gave up and slept the rest of the journey. 

Coruscant hadn't changed in the months she'd been gone, except for the weather, which wasn't as hot as it had been. Poe returned her to her rooms, where she enjoyed a hot shower and clean clothes. He waited for her in the hallway, pacing like a caged animal. 

"Do I need a weapon for this?" she asked.

"Maybe," he said. When she pulled her lightsaber to her from where she had placed it on the dresser, he shrugged. "Do you need a weapon? You kind of are a weapon."

"That's true. I feel better having it, though, especially if you aren't sure."

He led her to a bank of elevators. They traveled down, deep beneath the building.

"What is this place?" Rey shivered. It was far enough below the surface that there was no trace of natural light. The stone around them was heavy and oppressive. 

"Holding cells," said Poe, exiting the elevator and leading her down a corridor. "Mostly used for political prisoners in the past."

"Are we going to see a political prisoner?"

"Yes. Of sorts."

They entered a brightly lit room, where two soldiers stood guard outside of a dark grey door. Was this the prisoner's holding room? Rey had no idea why Poe would insist she returned to Coruscant to see a prisoner.

"No noise, sir," said the first soldier.

"No requests," said the second.

"Good," said Poe. "Rey, I think you should talk to him. He refuses to speak. Very few people know he's here, and the ones who do think he should have been disposed of as soon as he arrived. Just see what you make of it. I want to know if he's safe, and who he is. And how he ended up on Exegol."

"Poe, who is it?"

"Finn said to let you look at him. You tell me."

The locks on the door released with a sharp click, and Rey entered. It was a small sally port. She waited for the door behind her to close, and the one in front of her swung open. She took a deep breath, and entered, hand on her weapon. 

A big man sat on a cot, his back to her, face in his hands and hunched over so she could barely make him out.

Rey knocked on the wall to notify him she was there, in case he hadn't heard the door close.

He slowly turned, pulling each finger away from his face as if it had been stuck there with glue.

Rey let out a little squeak, and threw herself at him. Ben stood and caught her, arms folding around her and anchoring her body to his. Warm, and safe, and ALIVE. 

"How?" she said, pulling back and running her hands over his face. Over the bluish-yellow bruise around his eye. 

She was relieved to see that the scar was missing. She kissed him, not waiting for a reply. She didn't need to know the answers that badly. He ran his hands down her back, down her thighs, and lifted her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his hips, and kissed him like her life depended on it. 

The lock on the door clicked, and it swung open. Ben lowered her feet to the floor, but he didn't stop kissing her. Not until Poe coughed. 

"I figured that's what would happen," said Poe. Rey and Ben both looked at him, and he shook his head. "What a mess."

"This is Ben," said Rey. "Ben Solo. No longer in Ghost form. And this is not a mess!"

"Not Kylo Ren?" asked Poe.

Rey shook her head. "Ben."

"You do understand that the level of distinction you're drawing isn't likely to convince anyone," said Poe.

"Why does it matter?" asked Rey, not understanding at all.

Ben kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. "I will be tried and executed. This can't end any other way. I am a war criminal. And the good general here won't have any choice in the matter."

Rey's heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach.


	31. Losses

Poe Dameron murmured something to Rey that Ben couldn't hear, and left them alone. 

Ben felt strange. Like he didn't fit inside his own skin. Rey sat beside him on the narrow cot, and laced her fingers through his. 

"I'm so glad you're alive," she said. 

Her face had gone very pale when he had told her what was in store for him. He'd dealt with politics his entire life. There was no other outcome.

"How did you get here?" she asked.

"I ran into some scavengers on Exegol. Turns out your general friend hired crews to keep watch on planets with known Sith and First Order connections. They rounded me up and brought me here. Who struck you?"

"No one. I've been clumsy lately. Tell me about Exegol."

"There isn't much to tell. I woke up in your grandfather's throne room, naked as the day I was born. When I came out on the surface, Dameron's crew captured me. And now I'm here. They weren't particularly gentle."

He touched his own bruised eye. The orbit bones were tender. 

"I think it might be my fault you ended up there."

Rey proceeded to tell him the most outrageous story of how she had basically time jumped, pulled him out of the Exegol Sith lair just as he died, put life essence back into him, and transported him to her present timeline, but not her present location. 

"Little Yoda was with me on Ahch-To. That must be why he came back with me, and you didn't. I basically dropped you in the last place you'd been. How did your Ghost end up back in your body?" 

He frowned and rubbed his forehead. "What? Who is Little Yoda?"

"The Mandalorian's son. The one who Force Choked you. My student." 

She was looking at him in a way that made him nervous. He dropped her hand and turned to fully face her. 

"I have no idea who that is." 

The quietness stretched between them. He could almost see her brain whirring at high speed, trying to figure out what was going on. 

"Do you remember fighting Palpatine?" 

He nodded.

"Do you remember crawling out of that crevice and healing me?"

He nodded. 

"Do you remember kissing me?"

He leaned in and kissed her, but she was too flustered to return it. 

"What happened after that?" she asked.

His mind was muzzy and slow. "I woke up on the floor of the Sith arena. And when I came topside, Dameron's men captured me and brought me here." 

"Oh, Ben. You really don't remember? It's been months."

"Where were you?" he asked. 

"On Ahch-To. Trying really hard to figure out how to bring you back. You and Yoda, Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, and Anakin were all Force Ghosts. In the other place. You visited me."

He didn't disbelieve her, exactly. She'd always been honest with him. But what she was saying was nonsense. He had not been a ghost. And he had certainly not seen other ghosts.

"You don't remember," she whispered. "How is that possible?"

"What's to remember?"

She then told him about the visits he had paid her as a Ghost, and those of the others. Of the other Ghosts scheming and planning to help her. 

"They thought I could do this," she said. "They thought I could save you, bring you back. Everything they worked for was to that end. They didn't tell me, because they didn't want me to change the future. They didn't tell you because they didn't trust you not to tell me, and I couldn't know. It was a long shot, and it actually worked."

"I think I would remember spending months with my mother and Luke."

"Do you remember the portal?" 

"No."

She told him about a Force controlled torture device that made him relive all of his past crimes. The thought made him sick. 

"Maybe it was a test," she said. "For both of us. But you've forgotten yours."

"There's some other logical explanation."

"How do you explain the time gap?"

He couldn't. 

"Well, a week ago I thought I had failed to return life to your body. And I've never been so glad to be wrong. There will not be a trial. They will release you and you will come back to Ahch-To and help me." She frowned. "If you want to, I mean."

There was nothing he wanted more. 

"I can't escape this reality."

"Fight back! Why did you just let them capture you?"

He held his hands out. They shook a little. "At first, I was too tired and cold to try. And if I stayed on Exegol, I was going to die from exposure. It made sense to go with them. But now. Well, now, I can't touch the Force."

Rey's mouth had fallen open she was so surprised. Then she closed her eyes, and he had a feeling she was examining him with every bit of her own Force ability.

"You still have it," she said, though he wasn't reassured by her hesitant tone. "But it's different. Than it was. It feels..." She shook her head and her eyes popped open. 

"I can still feel you," he said. "I can still feel the Dyad Bond. It's weak though, just a shadow of what it was before."

If he really had been dead for months, no wonder he didn't have full use of his abilities. He would be rusty from disuse. 

"Can I see your lightsaber?" he asked. 

That was an easy test to conduct. She placed it in his hand, and he extended it forward. The blade did not engage. He closed his eyes and tried harder. Finally, after three more attempts, a gold blade extended out from the hilt. Gold. How had she done that?

Rey released a shaky breath. "That didn't look good for a minute there."

He didn't tell her how hard it had been. It had taken his full concentration, and even then he had failed several times. 

"I'm going to go talk to Poe. Let me figure out what's happening. I'll be back."

He kissed the tips of her fingers before she left. "Come back soon."

"I'll see if they'll move you up to my rooms. That would be nice."

How did a person who had been through what she had remain so optimistic? He didn't have the heart to tell her not to bother. They wouldn't release a monster to roam freely through their halls.


	32. Lessons On Powerlessness

Minister Vandor stood to greet her when she entered the meeting room. She accepted his outstretched hand.

"Master Skywalker," he said. "Good of you to come. Sit down, sit down. We have much to discuss."

"Thank you," said Rey.

Finn had been leaning against the wall, hands in pockets. He welcomed her with a hug. "Glad to see you, little sister."

"That's Master Rey to you," she said, poking him in the ribs. She lowered her voice. "What's happening here?"

Before Rey could answer, Poe entered, his face grim. "Let's start." 

Poe didn't look at Rey. Her heartbeat quickened. Was Ben right?

"Kylo Ren's identity was not widely known," said Poe. "I believe everyone in this room is aware of it, either by happenstance or because the Resistance or General Organa shared that information."

Maybe the helmet had been a good idea.

"Yes, yes, we know who he is," said a pinched-faced woman. "Get on with this. I don't know why we're even wasting our time meeting. Is there really any question about what should be done with him?"

"I agree with Casia," said Minister Vandor. "There is no question. We need to decide, as a body, how to proceed."

Rey opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She had never liked Vandor. Now she hated him.

"Master Rey, can you confirm the prisoner's identity?" said Poe. He still wouldn't look at her.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at Poe. Finn placed a warm hand on her shoulder. 

"Master Skywalker," prompted Minister Vandor. 

She didn't like his tone. Too much demand. Too much authority. She placed her hands on the table, palms down, and took a deep breath.

"The man in the holding cells below is Ben Solo," said Rey. "Not Kylo Ren."

The pinched-faced woman, Casia, flicked a dismissive hand at Rey. "One and the same. It doesn't matter what you call him. He was the leader of the First Order. He must answer for his organization's crimes. The voices of the dead in the Hosnian Cataclysm demand justice."

Why had she brought him back? Why had she thought that it mattered one bit to anyone but her that he was no longer Kylo Ren? She was a stupid, naive girl. And while she had power - more than all of these people combined - hers was not the kind of power that could sway justice. But she had to try. 

"Is there no path for redemption?" asked Rey.

"You're kidding," said Vandor. He squinted at her. "Has that salt water gone to your head?"

"You will treat Master Skywalker with respect in these Halls, Minister," said Poe. "She is the head of the Jedi Order."

"I want to take Ben Solo back to Ahch-To," said Rey. "He is a talented Force user who would be an asset to the Jedi."

Another minister barked out a laugh. "Loose him on the galaxy again? Knowing what he has done? Master Skywalker, surely you jest. How can you be so sure he won't return to his former ways?"

He's different. He changed. He's been tested by the Force. He has suffered. He understands that he was wrong. He was a victim, too. He saved my life. I love him. None of those things would matter to them.

"Will he use the Force to defend himself?" asked Vandor.

"Has he yet?" snapped Rey. 

She hated these people. Every last one of them. Well, not Poe and Finn, but they certainly weren't being very helpful at the moment. She had struggled in the past to put herself in the shoes of Jedi long gone. Jedi who had opposed the political machines of their time. Now she thought she understood them. To have so much useless power was infuriating. It might drive a person to make unwise choices. It might create a Darth Vader, or a Darth Sidious.

"Ben Solo has shown no inclination to use the Force in any way since his capture on Exegol," said Poe. "Can he use it, Rey?"

"Yes," she said. 

There was no way she was going to tell them how weak he was. Let them be nervous. Let them wonder if he would revert back to Kylo Ren and kill them all if they came near him.

"That's enough of a reason in itself to convict and dispose of him," said Vandor. "All those in favor?"

Dispose of him. Like rubbish. That was all he was to these people.

"That's it?" said Rey. "No trial?"

"This Council doesn't need a trial," said Casia, her face even pinchier than normal. "We all know what he's done. You know it as well as we do. This is a formality. He has violated every rule of law."

"Are acts committed during wartime not considered differently?" said Rey. She was grasping at straws whilst she drowned.

"Certainly," said Casia. "But not for leaders. There cannot be leniency for those who direct others to engage in atrocities." 

"He helped me defeat Palpatine," said Rey.

"In the balance of the scales of justice, that does not defray his other crimes," said Vandor. "It is to his credit. But his debt is too high."

"Enough of this," said Casia. She looked at each person sitting around the table. "If you do not support this execution, say so now."

Rey sat very still, trying not to hyperventilate. She didn't say anything. Her one, pitiful voice wouldn't matter. No one else said anything, either. Finn tried to place an arm around her shoulders, but she shook him off. Poe said nothing. Bastards. 

"Let him choose the method," said Poe. "For his help in defeating the Sith."

Grumbles arose, but no one openly objected. 

"When?" said Vandor.

"Get it over with," said one of the men.

Rey's ears were buzzing. She would not cry in front of these people. 

"I can take you back to Ahch-To," said Poe. 

She looked up and realized the room had cleared. 

"No. I'll stay. I can't let him die again thinking he is unloved, surrounded by these horrid people." Poe opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand. "Don't you dare apologize. And don't ask me to understand. I'm not stupid. I just hoped there was a chance for him at real redemption."

She was going back to Ahch-To, and she was never leaving. She'd come full circle. She should have stayed last time and let the galaxy burn.


	33. The First Cut

Dameron delivered the news. It was expected. 

"How did you know she loved me?" said Ben.

The other man frowned. "She chose you over us. On Ahch-To. Even dead, you were her priority. It was just a suspicion. She didn't handle your death well last time, and I don't imagine this will be any easier. We will see that she's cared for."

More references to his apparent time on Ahch-To that he had no memory of. 

"There's a room you can meet with her...before," said Dameron. "The Council has agreed to allow you to choose the method."

"I'll do it myself." There was a grudging respect in Dameron's face Ben hadn't expected.

"Can I get you anything?"

"A blade. A metal blade."

Soldiers escorted him to the room where Rey paced. He entered, and she frowned at him.

"You are good," he said. "You know right from wrong, and you make hard choices. Now is not one of those times. Do not take this from me."

She wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. Salty tears mingled with the kiss.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't try to stop this. Don't use the Force. Let me do what needs doing. There is no wrong here. I will die without shame."

"There is so much wrong here." 

"Rey. I know you don't believe that. You know me. You know what I've done. Promise. Promise you'll let me do this my way."

She nodded. A hard knock sounded on the door, and they exited onto a rooftop garden. Coruscant sprawled below them, glittering like a jewel in the sun.

Rey placed herself at the end of a line of witnesses. He worried she might faint. She was deathly pale. So she had learned the uselessness of politics. He wished she would leave, but he wasn't brave enough to send her away.

Finn stood beside Rey. His eyes darted around the garden, never making contact with Ben's. Poe stood nearby, and a huddle of dignitaries and politicians whispered to each other.

The death of Kylo Ren. Their involvement in this affair would earn them nearly unlimited political capital. He knew some of these people from his childhood. What would Princess Leia say if she could see her old friends approving the death of her only son?

She would be devastated. After all, she had given her life to save him.

Dameron brought Ben the blade he had requested. It was bright steel, and glinted in the sunlight like the buildings all around them. Ben had read once about a warrior class that committed suicide by stabbing a blade through their own stomachs, and then dragging it up to pierce their hearts. It was an honorable death - the best he could hope for.

He had refused execution. Not even the death of the monstrous Kylo Ren should be on anyone's conscience. It was the last offering he could make to try to atone for his life. To prevent the creation of another killer. Who would have done it? Poe? Finn? Some poor, random fool in this vast city? A person with a legitimate grudge against him? He was glad he'd never know.

Rey's mouth kept forming the word 'no,' over and over. He hoped she would keep her promise.

He was brave enough for this death.

He took one last look at Rey, closed his eyes, and plunged the dagger into his belly. He nearly passed out from the pain. A woman screamed. Rey? Pierce the heart and it will be over. He widened his stance. He probably should have sat down for this. It felt right to stand, though. He swayed bit, his body already in shock from the injury. Widened his feet again. Took a deep breath. 

"Stop him!" a man bellowed. "Stop him now! Take the knife!"

He had just convinced his arms to tug the knife upward when hands closed around his and pulled it free. Maybe someone had decided they wanted a bigger part in this execution. No matter. Blood flowed from the wound. Nausea overwhelmed him as he dropped to his knees. 

All in all, being run through with a lightsaber had been a more painful experience. 

"What have you done?" Finn was in his face, and he was livid.

Ben pressed shaking hands to his wound and sunk down further. "Give the knife," he hissed. This had to end.

The first cut was not a killing blow. It wasn't supposed to be. It would fester for days before it did its ultimate work if left this way. He needed to finish. 

The silence had been replaced by frantic screams and people running. It was loud. 

He fell forward and just caught himself before his head cracked on the stone ground. The cool stone felt wonderful on his face. He looked up. Rey was there. She was on the ground.

Rey on the ground. 

Her hands were pressed to her belly. Poe's hands were over hers. There was blood. So much blood. 

He heaved himself into a crawling position and began to stagger-crawl his way toward her. None of these people paid him any attention now. They had all been fixated on him moments before. 

Finn had asked him what he had done. His thoughts wouldn't connect. Something had happened. Someone had stabbed Rey. 

None of these people would hurt Rey.

Except someone had hurt her. Punched her in the face. 

Punched him in the face on the transport from Exegol. She had winced when he pressed too hard on the side of her bruise. His bruise felt like that. Bone deep.

Fuck. 

He made himself move faster. Poe stepped between Ben and Rey, and Ben gritted his teeth.

"Get out of my way," said Ben.

Finn moved. Ben laid down beside Rey. Laid down on his stomach. He heaved an arm up onto her belly and placed a hand over the wound.

"What is he doing?" said Finn. "The medics are coming. Get him away from her. He's hurting her!"

Poe met Ben's eyes. "Help her." 

Ben tried to make a sound of agreement, but all that came out was a cough. He was so weak. Weak in body and in Force. He found the thread of Healing and pressed it into Rey. He had to heal her. This was his fault. 

The fire in his belly receded as Rey's body knit back together. The wound mended. Both wounds mended. He closed his eyes, and the blackness swallowed him.


	34. Bindings

Rey opened her eyes. She was in an infirmary, laying on crisp, white sheets. A tube sprouted from her wrist, connected to a bag of fluid on a pole beside her head. She rubbed her eyes, and sat up with a jolt.

Ben. A guard stood at the foot of the adjacent bed, blaster in hand. The person in the bed was hidden completely beneath a white blanket, save for a mess of black hair poking out at the head of the bed.

"Is he..." Rey asked the soldier, squashing down her panic. They wouldn't post a guard on a dead man.

He nodded. "Alive last time the nurse came in. He hasn't moved since my shift started."

Rey extracted herself from the blankets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. When the dizzy spell passed, she slid off and waited to see if her legs would hold her weight.

The guard eyed her unhappily. "The nurse said you should stay in bed, sir." Flustered, he corrected himself. "Master Jedi. Ma'am."

"Do you have orders to stand watch?" asked Rey.

"Yes, ma'am."

"You should wait outside the door and give us some privacy," said Rey. "Let me know before you let anyone in."

The soldier frowned, and for a moment Rey thought the mind trick hadn't worked. Then he nodded. "I will wait outside and notify you if someone tries to enter." He left.

"Thank you," said Ben, his voice sleepy.

Rey grabbed her pole and wheeled it over to his bed. She tugged the blankets back and crawled in with him. He circled an arm around her and and pulled her close.

"I promised myself not to do that unless my life or someone else's was in danger."

"My sanity was in danger. That guy took his orders to 'not take his eyes off of me' literally."

She kissed his cheek. "How long have you been awake?"

"A few hours. I was waiting on you. Or some other high up to come in."

When Rey's hands were warm, she gently slid one down his bare chest, searching for the wound. She found a neatly stitched line. "You're OK?"

He chuckled. "As you will likely hear, the doctor was the real hero of the day. He managed to stitch up the still bleeding wound and single-handedly save our lives. I played a small role when I repaired a major blood vessel, many layers of guts, and re-knit muscle."

"I'll make sure to thank the doctor for his brilliant expertise."

"They've been giving us blood and fluids. I didn't fix any of that."

"Mm." Just moving from her bed over to his had worn her out. She might need a little more blood.

"Thank you for not intervening up there."

"That was awful. Don't do it again."

"I promise not to become a murderous madman and be sentenced to death again."

Poe stormed in, his voice preceding him with sharp words to the soldier. Rey tried to sit up, but the dizziness was back. Ben lifted her, slid her legs over, and sat beside her. His arm around her was warm, firm, and gloriously alive. Poe leaned against Rey's empty bed and frowned, arms crossed. He was angry.

"Explain," said Poe.

"Don't look at me," said Ben. "I was dead. And then I was almost dead again."

They both looked at Rey.

"I can't explain it," she said.

"But you did it," said Ben.

"Are you sure?" said Poe. He was suspicious he'd been tricked on the rooftop.

"I'm sure she did it," said Ben. "I just don't know how."

Ben took a lancet off of the bedside table and stabbed the tip of his thumb. A fat, red drop of blood welled up. The same drop appeared on Rey's thumb.

"Poke yourself," said Ben. "New finger."

She did, and watched the same spot bleed on his finger.

"What is this?" asked Rey. She was scared. Ben was probably right that she had caused it. She just didn't know how she could have. She certainly hadn't done it on purpose.

"Tell me about what you did to bring me back from the dead," said Ben.

Rey recounted the story. She hadn't told Poe, and his expression was just as incredulous as Ben's had been when she first told him.

"I think that makes sense," said Ben.

"How?" said Rey and Poe at the same time.

"She altered the Dyad Bond," said Ben. "Tightened it. And that makes a lot of sense, though I believe you when you say you didn't do it on purpose. I think you were so afraid of failing, of losing me again, that whatever you did with the Force to restore my life went above and beyond your intentions."

"Oh," said Rey.

She couldn't decide if this was good or bad. Bad if one of them sustained a major injury. Good because she'd never live while he died again. It was morbid and lovely all at once.

"So basically, this weird Force Bond thing protects Kylo Ren from execution, unless we are willing to sacrifice Rey, too?"

"It protects Ben from execution," said Rey.

"Undo it," said Poe.

"That's not how the Force works," said Ben.

"Give me some options, here," said Poe. "Honestly, I don't care if they want to execute you or not. I don't think civilized people should engage in capital punishment. It's barbaric and punitive. But they have a point. You have so much blood on your hands you're drowning in it. Help me out of this. What do I tell them?"

Rey understood the Council's position. She thought the odds of Poe approving her death in order to rid the galaxy of Ben Solo was very unlikely. Neither Ben nor Rey responded.

"Is it possible to contain you in a prison?" Poe asked Ben.

"You can try asking me nicely to stay in a prison cell," said Ben.

"No," said Rey. "No prison you build can hold a strong Force user. He could have easily left the one you had him in here." At full strength. But Poe didn't need to know that.

Poe sighed. "Great."


	35. A Reasonable Agreement

"Do you want to put me in restraints, General?" said Ben.

Rey glared at him. "Stop baiting him. This is bad enough without alienating one of the few people who really wouldn't consider killing both of us."

"Rey, can you restrain him?" asked Poe.

Poe walked ahead of them. They'd stayed in the infirmary for three days after they woke. The nurse had nearly lost her mind trying to keep Ben in his bed. Rey had gladly stayed in hers. She had just yesterday stopped feeling like the floor was tilting beneath her whenever she stood.

"I can, if you really want me to," said Rey. "But I think it's more likely I'll need to restrain one of the Council members. Just how bad is this going to be?"

"We'll find out soon enough," said Poe.

"Maybe they'll banish us to a far away planet in a remote system where we can live out the rest of our lives in peace no where near them," said Ben.

"I'm training new Jedi," said Rey. 

Ben stared at her, not comprehending. 

"They'll almost all be children," said Rey. "Children aren't peaceful."

"They can't be as bad as First Order officers," said Ben. 

Poe stopped outside of the room Rey had met the Council in before the botched execution. "Stay here until I call you in. Let me try to smooth some feathers before they see you." He entered and closed the door behind him. 

"You're pale," said Ben. 

"I'm OK."

"How long will they make us wait?"

"Who knows. They probably want to present a united front. It might be hours."

"I know a way to put some pink in your cheeks and pass a few hours."

He slid a hand beneath her shirt and brushed the healing scar with his fingers. "Assuming this can withstand it."

"The doctor did say I should work on increasing my physical activity." 

She buried her fingers in his hair, and pulled his mouth down to hers. His other hand went around her waist, tugging the shirt up further. 

The Council room door swung open, and Rey turned to see a few dozen pairs of eyes on them. She smoothed her shirt back down and walked into the room, Ben behind her. 

"Not a few hours," murmured Ben. 

The members of the Council were visibly uncomfortable. 

"I was not informed of the nature of your relationship," said Minister Vandor. His scowl bordered on petulant.

Rey sat in one of the chairs at the end of the table, and motioned for Ben to sit in the other.

"It happened while I was dead, sir," said Ben.

The minister opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a grounded fish. Rey hadn't ever seen him speechless.

"Rey was alive," Ben offered, providing absolutely no clarification for the bewildered Council.

Rey looked at Ben. He caught and held her eye. His face was believably serious, but his eyes glittered with wicked mischief. She frowned at him. If only she could master silent communication. Just to project her thoughts. She didn't want anyone else speaking directly into her mind, not even Ben.

Finn was staring at them. Rey offered him a cautious smile, but he was too overwhelmed to respond.

"We have other issues to discuss," said Poe, pulling everyone's attention back to himself. "Say your piece and let's move on. I will not approve of an execution in light of recent revelations."

Casia, and several other minister looked like they might object, but none did so out loud.

"We have heard recommendations for banishment and imprisonment," said Vandor, finally recovering his voice. "Master Skywalker, what is your opinion?"

"Honestly," said Rey, "we can make all kinds of plans. None of them matter. With Force users like us, there isn't a single thing you can do to stop us if we decide to go our own way, aside from killing us."

"This isn't reassuring," said Vandor.

"I agree," said Rey. "But we should make sure everyone understands the reality. I have a proposal, if you'll hear me out."

The Council members nodded.

"I will return to Ahch-To with Ben Solo. He will help me train new Jedi." She held up a hand to forestall the muttering. "If he returns to the dark side, if he shows any inclination toward his old ways, I will kill him myself."

"Even if you love him?" said Finn.

"Because I love him," said Rey. "I will never allow him to become that person again."

"At the cost of your own life?" said Casia.

"Yes," said Rey.

Ben reached under the table and grabbed her trembling hand. He squeezed once, and when he began to pull away, she clung to him.

Poe nodded to Rey. He wasn't happy with her plan, but he seemed to accept it as a best case scenario. Otherwise, he'd have to figure out how to imprison Ben, and risk his injury or death also effecting her when Ben inevitably decided he didn't want to stay any longer. 

"Perhaps give Mr. Solo some time before he begins teaching," said another Council member. "To give the students a chance to adjust to him."

Rey grinned. "I only have one student so far. The issue will be how long it takes for Ben to adjust to him. This student is very gifted and powerful, and has a history of putting powerful men in their places when they misbehave."

Finn snorted, and Ben looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"I'll ask him to repeat it and see if it jogs your memory," whispered Rey. "Or perhaps to help you form a new memory. I think it's one you can learn a lot from."

"One other thing," said Poe. "The identity of Kylo Ren must remain in this room. I assume all of you have some idea of what would happen to those here if the truth was revealed? For those who haven't considered it, imagine the political backlash if your complicity in allowing him to go free is revealed. It would be political suicide, and I know how much you all value your esteemed positions."

Ben squeezed her hand again. Poe really was a brilliant commander, whether he accepted it or not. 

"You are dismissed," said Poe to Ben and Rey. 

They wasted no time leaving.


	36. Meetings and Greetings

Ben hadn't even been able to hope for an outcome of the meeting. The one they had received was unbelievable. He was basically free. 

A tiny green blur hurled itself around a corner in the hallway, scurrying toward them at an alarming speed for its size.

"Stop," said Rey, sensing he was ready to throw up some kind of defense. 

She dropped to her knees and held out her arms, and the little green blur launched itself at her. She laughed and wrapped her arms around it. 

A helmeted figure came up behind the green creature and stopped a few feet behind. 

"He made me come," said the helmeted man. "He said you were in trouble. We seem to have arrived too late again."

"I was," said Rey. "But I'm OK now. I'm glad to see you both. Ben, these are my friends." 

Ben's tension uncoiled a bit, and he nodded to the man. "Nice to meet you." He extended a hand. After a moment's hesitation, the man shook it with a painfully firm grip. 

"I'm called Mando in most circles," said the man. 

"A Mandalorian?" said Ben.

"What's wrong with you?" said the little creature, his head tipped to the side, huge eyes boring holes into Ben. 

Rey put her hand over her mouth, but he still heard the giggle she tried to suppress. 

"Is he sick?" said the creature to Rey. 

"Is that," said Ben, pausing. "Is that a Yoda?"

"He is," said Rey. "Of the same species as Master Yoda. He's my student. And he will be even more powerful than my master. More powerful than we are by a long shot."

"I never met Yoda," said Ben. "I heard Luke killed him."

When was Yoda her master? This must be part of the past he couldn't remember.

Rey gave him a withering look. "Luke did not kill Yoda. Don't listen to him, little one. Master Yoda died while training Master Luke. He was very old."

"Master Yoda said Master Luke asked too many questions and that killed him," said the little creature. "He said I did a good job not asking too many questions. Master Luke said it wasn't true though. I believe Master Yoda."

It was a child, Ben decided. But it must be smart. And it had also trained with Yoda? 

Rey laughed out loud. 

"Rey?" came a female voice. "REY!" 

A short, dark haired woman jogged down the hall and stopped in front of them. Mando and the little child moved out of the way. She too threw her arms around Rey. They both laughed.

"Everyone, this is my friend Rose," said Rey. Rey's smile was huge. 

"Hi, everyone!" said Rose. She was an energetic sort. 

"You must be the Mandalorian," said Rose, and she hugged him. The man started, and then awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks for helping Rey. You're really great!"

Rose dropped down to eye level with the little green kid. "And you must be the very special boy I've heard so much about. What's your name?" She extended her hand to him, and he took it.

"I'm Yoda," said the boy. He looked at Rey, and she nodded her approval.

"It's so nice to meet you, Yoda," said Rose. 

She stood, and faced Ben. "And you must be the hot guy they've been hiding in the infirmary. Everyone is talking about you. I'm Rose, nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand, and he accepted it. 

Rey stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She whispered in his ear, "You're blushing." 

The Council door opened and Finn slid out. He took in the scene, and held out a hand to Rose, who joined him. Finn's arm circled around her.

"I heard you all the way inside," said Finn to Rose. He turned to face Ben. "I see you've met my fiance."

Ben nodded. He wasn't sure where he stood with this general. He was relatively sure Rose had no idea who he was, because she hadn't run screaming or kicked him in the shins. 

"This is Ben," said Finn. "He's Rey's..."

"Rey's boyfriend," supplied Yoda. 

"Great," said Rose. "Is he coming to the wedding with you?"

Finn looked a little sick, but Rose didn't seem to notice. Ben smiled his best smile and placed a firm hand on Rey's lower back. She arched into him, just a little, and looked up into his face. He needed to get rid of all of these people and get her alone. 

"That sounds like a good plan," said Rey. "If we're still here."

"Of course you'll be here," said Rose. "It's tomorrow. I'm so glad you came back. We moved it up when we heard you would be in Coruscant. Mando and Yoda, you are welcome to come, too."

It was clear that Rey was the leader of this little troupe. They all looked to her for affirmation.

"Will Master Ben be better by then?" said Yoda. 

It was going to take a while for him to get used to hearing the title of Master precede his name.

"Why don't I arrange for some guest rooms for Mando and his son," said Finn. "Rose, will you ask the seneschal for a room for Ben?" He ushered her away, obviously wanting to end this ticking bomb of a conversation before the kid divulged Ben's true identity to his clueless fiance. 

"Ben doesn't need a room," said Rey. 

"Ben stays with Rey," said Yoda. 

Ben liked the kid. He was smarter than Finn.

"I'll come by later," called Rose, as Finn bustled her away.

He wanted to tell the woman Rey wouldn't be available later, but decided it would be better to just barricade the doors to her room. 

"Let's go somewhere and talk," said Rey, leading the three of them to an empty corridor with vacant meeting rooms on both sides. 

Ben trailed along behind them, shutting the door when they were all inside the little conference room.

Rey briefed the Mandalorian and the Yoda on what had happened since she left Ahch-To. It sounded so simple when she laid it out using highlights in chronological order. It hadn't been simple in the least. Ben had started to believe what she said though, as far-fetched as it all sounded. 

"We should be going," said the Mandalorian.

"Can we stay for the party, Papa?" said Yoda. "Pleaeeeese?" 

The Mandalorian and Rey shared a look, and the man relented. "Fine. But we leave right after."

"So do we," said Rey.


	37. Dresses

Rey and Ben left the Mandalorian and Little Yoda in the room Finn had found for them. The Mandalorian wanted them to stay on the Razor Crest, but Rey had convinced him to leave his ship for a night. Little Yoda had been thrilled. 

"Do you remember my visits?" said Rey. "The ones before your death?" 

She opened her door and entered her rooms. Ben followed, closed the door behind him, and proceeded to shove her dresser in front of it. 

"We're safe here," she said, puzzled.

"I'm not worried about safety. I'm worried about privacy."

Oh. He did remember. 

"They happened recently for me, while you were in ghost form. You didn't tell me about them. You were worried that if I knew, it would change my behavior, and change the outcome of the meetings."

She walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. 

"How many times did you go backwards?" He leaned against the bathroom door frame, watching her. 

"A handful, not counting the trips back to Exegol. Your ghost form didn't retain the Bond. At least, I don't think it did. Past you was the only thing that could draw me."

"I thought you were a little crazy at the time. You'd spend the night with me one day, and try to kill me the next. The signals were very confusing."

Billows of steam wafted out of the shower. Rey couldn't wait to wash the antiseptic, infirmary soap scent off of her skin. She still marveled at the extravagant access these people had to water. 

Someone knocked on the door. Ben groaned.

"Ignore it," she said.

Again, knocking. Louder this time. 

Rey tugged the dresser back a little, pleased that her belly didn't ache or the stitches pull as she did. She cracked the door open.

"Rey, come on!" said Rose. "We need to get you a dress for tomorrow."

Rey blinked. A dress?

"For the wedding," said Rose. "Or do you have one already?"

"I...no."

Rose tried to open the door, but it banged against the dresser. "Come on, we'll be late. I called ahead to the dress shop. The seamstress will see you now."

Ben had joined her. He sat on the dresser, a frown on his face. 

"What are you wearing?" she asked him.

"This?" Ben was still dressed in the borrowed pants and loose top the hospital had given him.

"Will you move the dresser, please?" 

Ben sighed, stood, and tugged it away from the door. Rose entered, a smile on her face. 

"I really need a shower, Rose," said Rey. "Can it wait for a few minutes?" 

I really need a shower with Ben.

"I'll entertain our guest whilst you shower," said Ben. 

When Rey emerged from the bathroom, Rose and Ben were involved in an animated conversation about...flowers. Flowers. Rey toweled off her hair and tried to figure out what was going on. 

"You could have gone with the black dahlia," said Ben. 

"I thought about it!" said Rose. "I don't like how light the purple undertones are."

"The black callas will be lovely," said Ben. 

"Are you ready?" said Rose.

Rey, Ben, and Rose traveled by shuttle to the dress shop. 

"What's wrong?" asked Ben, when Rose left them to talk to the seamstress. 

Rey was sweating. This shop was like nothing she had ever seen. Everything, every last thing, was brightly colored. "I've never worn a dress."

His eyes widened. "Never?"

"They aren't practical on Jakku. And then I was in the Resistance. Your mother didn't even wear dresses. I didn't need them on Ahch-To. I just never have." This was embarrassing. 

"I prefer it when you wear nothing," said Ben.

Rey was too nervous to respond. 

The seamstress, a short, Rodain woman with dusky blue skin, approached Rey with a measuring tape. Rose smiled her encouragement whilst the woman measured and prodded Rey. The seamstress muttered to herself as she worked, and walked away without a word. 

"Did I do alright?" asked Rey. No one had ever measured her for clothing, either. 

"Perfect," said Rose. "You're going to look amazing."

"Why does it matter what I look like?" Rey whispered to Ben. 

"Haven't you figured out that that's what most of these ridiculous people in Coruscant care about? Did you notice how the Council dressed? Think of it as a kind of armor. Political armor. It projects a certain image. Everyone at this wedding will be looking at everyone else. Judging them based on appearance. You, Master Jedi, will be evaluated before you have a chance to open your mouth, based solely on your appearance."

Rey wrinkled her nose. "That's awful."

"It is. My mother sometimes dragged me along when I was young. The wedding won't be as bad as a full-blown galaxy wide political summit. Finn is only a celebrated Resistance war general and hero. Maybe half the galaxy will be there."

"Why a dress, though?"

"Because you are pretty," said Rose, butting in. "And because you deserve a fancy night. We all do. Finn told me about those huts we'll be living in at your school. He described them as 'rustic.' So while we can, we're going to be fancy. What's taking her?" Rose walked off to find the seamstress.

"I love it that you don't care about any of this," said Ben. He motioned to the multicolored frill explosion hanging on the walls.

"I'll try, for Rose," said Rey. "But I'm fine if this is a rare occasion. It's not even my wedding."

"Oh, fine," said Ben. "I was going to suggest weekly balls at Jedi school, but I guess I can let that dream go."

What followed next was a blur of the seamstress pulling dress after dress onto Rey, Rey modeling it for Ben and Rose, and then everyone conferencing about which one they liked best. Rey gave up. She couldn't keep track of one from the next, let alone study them long enough to have an opinion. According to her critics, some made her look too pale, others too thin, still others were too long or too short or too bright or too tight or too bland. Rose had all kinds of ideas. Ben mostly watched, but once in a while he would wink at her. 

Rose decided on a dress, and Rey agreed without much thought, glad to get out of the stuffy shop. The seamstress boxed up the dress and Rey was the first one out the door, overjoyed to finally escape.

"None of those dresses had a place to secure a lightsaber," said Rey as the made their way back to the Senate Building.

Ben grinned at her, and Rose laughed. Well then. She'd have to get creative. One never knew when one might need a weapon on this viper's nest of a planet.


	38. Shadows

The last time Ben had been around so many people, they were stormtroopers, standing in neat, orderly rows. They were silent. If he gave them a command, they obeyed without hesitation. They didn't come near him. They didn't speak to him, or try to introduce themselves. For all intents and purposes, they were pieces of furniture. 

The people at this wedding were everywhere, and they sounded a bit like a flock of unruly geese, chattering and cackling and creating an irritating cacophony of chaos. 

Ben stayed right beside Rey, fingers lightly pressed into the exposed skin of her back. He was concerned he'd lose her in this mass of humanity. He tried to learn the names of the people who came up to her and spoke. Mercifully, no one had approached him all evening. Rey politely introduced him as Ben, and then steered the conversation away from him entirely. It appeared the Council had been true to their word - none of these people had any idea who he had been.

Rey had a good presence about her for political maneuvering. A little bit of Leia may have rubbed off on her. He knew she was anxious, but none of these people would ever guess it. She was poised and confident. She didn't allow any of them to pin her down about the Jedi, or allow them to walk away feeling like they had influenced her plans for the order. 

The dress she wore was blood red. It cut deliciously low, fully exposing her sternum. It stopped just shy of the wound on her stomach, which was nearly healed. Beneath the folds of the loose, thin, layered skirts, she had her lightsaber strapped to her thigh. It wasn't completely invisible, but you had to know where to look to see it. He wore black from head to toe. Some habits died harder than others. 

After the ceremony ended, they'd all been milling around the Senate Building, waiting for dinner and dancing. The kid was entertaining people by showing his levitation skills, which Ben had to admit were surprising for one so young. The Mandalorian stood nearby, stiff and projecting an air of general disinterest. No one approached him, either. Rey said dangerous looking men made people nervous. 

Dinner was held on an outside terrace overlooking the city. Tables were scattered about in a random pattern. Ben and Rey sat with the Mandalorian and the kid. 

"How are you going to eat?" asked Ben. 

"How did you eat when you wore a helmet?" said the Mandalorian. 

"I took it off. But I didn't usually eat around other people."

"Neither do I." 

"This is The Way," said Yoda.

"I'll be fine," said the Mandalorian. 

"Are you going to dance with me, Master Rey?" asked the kid. 

Rey made an exaggerated expression of shock. "Aren't you a little old to be asking me to dance?"

Yoda giggled so hard Ben thought he might topple out of his chair.

"How old are you?" said Ben.

"Seventy-seven," said Yoda. 

Ben nodded, though this creature's age compared to his appearance was a bit of a mind-bender. "Old men should not ask young women to dance. It isn't proper." 

Ben felt a nagging itch between his shoulder blades. He had seated himself against a wall so he could keep an eye on everything around him, but he still felt as if he were being watched. Or sensed. He made eye contact with Rey, and tried to convey his concern. She seemed to understand him. Moments later, sirens in the building began to wail. 

The Mandalorian grumbled something about how they should have left earlier. Ben couldn't agree more. 

"Are we going to have a fight?" asked the kid.

"Let's hope not," said Rey, though her weapon was in her hand already. 

Yoda tugged at the hem of Ben's coat. "Do you want to borrow mine?" 

Ben looked down. The kid was holding a lightsaber out for him to take. With an absent nod of approval from Rey, he took the weapon. 

"Let's spread out and see what we can find," said Rey, already moving toward the hall where they had mingled before dinner.

"No," said Ben. "We stay together. We are stronger together."

That was a gross understatement. The Dyad Bond created a strange synergistic reaction. He had sought power his entire life. He'd never felt anything like what he experienced when he and Rey were using the Force in close proximity, whether it was collaborative or not. 

People ran every which way. They hadn't been at peace long enough for them to have forgotten their terror and training. 

In the entry hall, clad all in black and wearing a black helmet, was one of his Knights. The shift in the Force when he and Rey were near death that notified Yoda must have been evident to all Force sensitive beings. Rey's blade extended, but he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Let me deal with him," said Ben.

"How?" said Rey.

"He's mine," said Ben. "At least, I think he is."

Snoke had gifted him with the Knights of Ren. They were a radicalized group of dark side users. Seekers of power. And he was their leader. He had taken great pride in them. In their ruthlessness and single-minded determination. Now, he regretted fostering those qualities in them.

"Ren," said the Knight. He put his fist over his chest in salute. "We have searched long for you."

"I'm no longer Ren," said Ben. 

The Knight motioned to the retracted lightsaber in Ben's hand. Ben extended the blade, and sucked in a sharp breath when it extended in a smooth, inky black line. A darksaber. THE darksaber. 

"I see the shadow in you still," said the Knight. Ben flinched. "And I see the shadow in the boy, too." 

Ben glanced behind to see that Mando and Yoda had followed them. 

"Surrender, or we cross blades," said Ben.

The Knight lifted his weapon, a long-handled ax Ben knew had been altered to cause greater damage. 

Ben shrugged, and attacked. It felt good to fight again. He ignored everything around him, slipping into the forms he had practiced for so long. The blade was shorter than he was used to, but it served well enough. 

The Knight's head ended up across the floor from his body. Ben retracted the blade and returned it to the kid. "Nice weapon." 

Rey had gone very pale. Finn and Poe joined them as they stood over the dead Knight. 

"Sorry about the body at your wedding," Ben said to Finn.

The general just shook his head.


	39. Hunting Party

The Knight of Ren had trailed a path of blood in his wake through Coruscant to find Ben. Seventeen were dead. Rey felt sick.

Ben pulled her against him, and she rested her forehead against his chest. The chignon Rose had wrangled her hair into earlier had come loose, and he ran gentle fingers through it. The appearance of the Knight had shaken her badly. She knew Ben wouldn't cast aside the residue of Kylo Ren easily, but this murderous reminder was more than she was ready for.

"How many more of them are there?"

"Five. Snoke gifted them to me."

"And they're coming for you?"

"Not for me, exactly. To me. They're pledged to me. They aren't like stormtroopers or Palpatine's guard. They don't operate on mindless directives. It makes them dangerous."

"What did he mean about shadows?"

Ben didn't respond for a long time. "The Knights of Ren use the dark side. They, we, can sense it in others. That sense is called a shadow."

"What does that mean?" She shivered. The Knight had said it of both Ben and Little Yoda.

"That he sensed the shadow in me?"

"Mhm."

"Think of the Force like a table covered in different dishes of food. I have many options. But I don't have to eat everything. Some of it I leave alone. I don't have to use the dark side. But it is available to me. The shadow means the person has a propensity for it. Not that they will use it."

"What about me?"

He tipped her chin up and studied her. Then he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I have never sensed it in you. Not even when you stood among Sith and faced Palpatine, a situation where it would have helped you."

Rey took a shaky breath. "Little Yoda?"

"He's not as stupid as I was when I was young. Palpatine exploited my rage and loneliness. Yoda has an invested father who loves him and a teacher who wants the best for him. He won't use the dark side. He won't need to."

"And you?"

"I won't go back, if that's what you mean." 

She was still worried about both of them, no matter what Ben said. 

"I need to find them. I need to hunt them down and deal with them before they find me and wreak havoc in the process."

Someone had taken the body away while Ben had been talking to her. Poe and Finn were having one of their hushed arguments. The Mandalorian stood nearby, waiting.

"Care for a hunt, Mando?" said Ben. 

"I'm old," said the Mandalorian, "but I still have some hunt left in me. We're tracking those?" He motioned to the blood stain on the marble floor.

"Sending Ben back to Ahch-To with you and releasing him to search the galaxy are two very different things," said Poe. 

Rey nodded, and rubbed her temples. Her head hurt. "I know. What would you suggest, General? You told me there were still threats out there. One showed up on our doorstep today and provided a costly lesson."

"Are more here?" asked Finn. "On Coruscant?"

Ben closed his eyes and held up a finger. Wait. Rey hadn't learned how to search for people using the Force over such a great distance. That would be a helpful skill.

"No," said Ben. "The others aren't here. But if one figured out where I am, the others won't be far behind. Remember that they think I've been off the grid for months. I need to leave."

"Let's get off of this planet," said the Mandalorian. "Before another one shows up. We can plan later. Master Jedi, I offer the services of the Razor Crest."

He motioned for Little Yoda to follow, and they walked off toward their rooms. 

"I can't leave Coruscant," said Poe. 

"Neither of you should," said Rey. "Let us deal with this. Finn, you and Rose should enjoy your new marriage. Between three Force users and a Mandalorian, we should be able to handle these Knights."

Poe hesitated, and offered Ben his hand. It took Ben a moment to respond, but he finally shook Poe's hand. 

"I consider this a great service to our fledgling galaxy cooperative," said Poe. "I won't forget it."

"I'm not doing it for your government," said Ben. "But if it benefits us all, that's fine."

"Poe will bring us to Ahch-To when Rose is ready," said Finn. "Be careful, Master Rey."

Rey hugged him. "Take care of Rose. I'm glad you're married."

"Me, too," said Finn.

Rey returned to her rooms and packed up her things. Ben had found some better fitting clothing. There were two suitcases on the bed. Puzzled, Rey lifted a few items out of the one that obviously contained women's clothing. 

"Where did this come from?" she asked.

"Rose helped me get you a new wardrobe," said Ben. "We both needed it." 

"Oh," said Rey. "Thank you."

"Thank my mother. She left quite a bit of money behind in an account on Coruscant, and authorized me to access it."

"She was a good planner. She loved you very much."

"I know."

"Let me change really quick. This dress is not suited for much."

He grabbed her arm to stop her. "Please leave it on." At her frown, he continued. "Is the Razor Crest large?"

"Yes?"

He kissed her neck, and wrapped his hands around her hips. "This is not the kind of dress you just change out of. This is the kind of dress you allow someone to remove. Slowly."

"That sounds..." She was interrupted by a long, sweet kiss. "Fine. And loud, on a ship with other people close by."

"You'll have to be quiet, then." 

She arched into him, grabbing his face in both hands and kissing him fiercely. 

"My volume has little to do with me."

"Is that so? Well, we'll experiment."

He released her and closed the suitcases. They found the Razor Crest prepped and ready to go. Ben stowed the suitcases, and conferred with the Mandalorian. They decided to head to the Outer Rim and plan from there. The Mandalorian showed them a guest cabin, and left them on their own to pilot the ship. 

The guest cabin was directly above the engine room, and it turned out noise from their cabin wasn't a problem after all.


	40. A Pause

The Mandalorian piloted the Razor Crest into wide open space in the Outer Rim. The four of them sat down around his little dining table and began to work out a plan. 

"We need an uninhabited planet," said Rey. 

"There are plenty of those out here," said the Mandalorian. 

"What about the one in the Dagobah system?" said Ben. "Where I built my dock on that cold lake?"

Rey remembered that planet very well. She had visited Ben there when he was Kylo Ren in one of her jumps back in time. 

"You're sure it's uninhabited?" said Rey.

"I didn't survey the planet," said Ben. "But as far as my senses and the ship's sensors could read, it's nothing but plant life."

"That works," said the Mandalorian. "How do we get their attention?"

"They're attuned to me," said Ben. "They probably showed up on Exegol after Rey dropped me there. I would have been long gone by the time they arrived."

"Can't we fix them?" said Little Yoda. "You're fixed."

Rey looked to Ben. He seemed to take the question seriously. After some consideration, he shook his head. "I don't think so. I spent the first fifteen years of my life using the light side. These men have only ever known the dark. They have no framework to understand anything else, nor will they want to. The Knights are a force of nature. If I can think of a way before they arrive, I promise I'll try."

Little Yoda's ears drooped, but he nodded. 

"I veto stabbing and near death experiences," said Rey. 

"Reasonable," said Ben. "We should be able to do something big with the Force. If we work together, the ripples that result will move through the galaxy and shine like a beacon for them to follow."

"Make yourselves bait, and hope they take it," said the Mandalorian. He nodded. "That's a start. Tell us about them."

Ben detailed the enhanced weapons of the five they hoped to draw to the cold lake planet. When he finished, they were all quiet.

"Are we three enough to kill them?" asked Rey.

"It will be hard," said Ben. "They won't have fought seventeen others before reaching us like the one on Coruscant."

"Four," piped Yoda. 

Rey looked to the Mandalorian. He shrugged. 

"I think avoiding direct confrontation is a good idea," said the Mandalorian to his son. "But you can help. You could play the game and help us slow them down."

"What's the game?" said Ben.

"He can Cloak himself," said Rey. She laughed as Ben recreated the same incredulous expression he had made on Ahch-To when he had learned about Little Yoda's skill while in his ghost form. 

"I never could do that," said Ben. 

"I'll take care of two of them," said Little Yoda. "The rest of you each get one."

"I need a weapon," said Ben. "I think Yoda should keep the darksaber. The reach is short for me, but perfect for him."

"I have plenty aboard," said the Mandalorian. 

"I need a lightsaber," said Ben. "But there's no time to make one."

"To Tatooine, then," said Rey. 

"Why?" said Ben.

"I buried Luke's old lightsaber there," she said. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind you having it."

Ben looked skeptical. "If you say so."

"Trust me," said Rey. 

"Master Luke liked you," said Little Yoda. "He told me so."

"Wait," said Ben. "You BURIED a lightsaber?"

"Yes," said Rey. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I buried Leia's, too. Outside of Luke's childhood home."

"What." Ben shook his head. "Jedi sentimentality."

"Burying valuable weapons does not seem wise," said the Mandalorian. 

Rey looked to Little Yoda. "You get it, right?"

She was rewarded with not a word of rebuke and a solemn nod from her student. 

"We'll need to see the target planet to finish our plans," said the Mandalorian. "I'll set a course for Tatooine. Get some rest while you can. It sounds like we're going to need it." 

"Master Ben?" said Little Yoda.

"Yes, oh Wielder of the Darksaber?" said Ben.

Little Yoda practically preened at that. "Will you play Dejarik with me?" He activated the game on the table top, each little piece coming to life and stretching in anticipation of the match.

"I haven't played in years," said Ben, facing the game board. 

Rey kissed both of them on the cheek and returned to their cabin. She pulled out all of the clothing Rose had arranged, searching for something that would blend in well with the greenery of the cold lake planet. Rose had ordered a serviceable number of pants and tops, as well as a few outrageous dresses. That made Rey smile. 

Some time later, Ben hurtled into the cabin, a look of alarm on his face. She sat up from where she had been dozing and squinted at him. He appeared unharmed. He shut the door and dropped down on the cot beside her, and ran his hands over her belly.

"Are you bleeding?" 

"Not yet." 

"Not...yet? It feels like someone stabbed you in the gut."

"Oh." Rey laughed. At his frustrated expression, she explained, "I'm female."

"Yes?"

"This is the horror we deal with on a monthly basis. It's not just bleeding. It hurts. Actually, this isn't as bad as it's going to get."

"Shit. You do this every month?" 

"Every single one. Unless I don't get enough to eat. Then it stops for a while."

"Why am I feeling it? I don't have the requisite organ."

Rey shrugged and pressed herself against him. "Bad luck for you. I'm sorry. I really didn't do this on purpose."

"Will this prevent you from helping with the Knights?"

"Please," she snorted. "I can't be out of commission for five or six days every month. I deal with it."

"I had no idea."

"I know." She yawned and closed her eyes. "It's kind of cute."

"So, when you have a baby..."

"I'm not having a baby any time soon. But I guess you'll be the first man in the history of the universe to experience that pain. Maybe you can publish your experience. It might be your grandest contribution to humanity."

"Former Badass Kylo Ren Curls Up into a Ball and Cries While the Love of His Life Does All of the Hard Work and Safely Delivers Their Child. It's a catchy headline."

"I love so many things about that headline."

"I'm glad we had this pause in events. We all needed it."

She fell asleep with his arms wrapped around her.


	41. Skywalker

Tatooine was an unpleasant desert planet, nearly as bad as Jakku. Ben had never understood why people chose to stay in places like this. It was so hot the sweat evaporated off of his skin as soon as it formed. It was bad enough to have to work hard to find food. Working for water was insult upon injury.

Ben knew that Luke Skywalker came from humble beginnings, but he had not expected this level of humble. His uncle had talked about his childhood on Tatooine on several occasions, and was never negative about it. It was so different from his mother's childhood on Alderaan. The Force had brought them together in the end, regardless of their separate lives as children. 

Perhaps the Force brought him to this planet. His grandfather had spent time as a slave on Tatooine before the Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had found him. Anakin had no love for the place, and as far as Ben knew, Darth Vader had never returned. 

And for some reason, Rey had felt compelled to bring both Luke and Leia's lightsabers back here and bury them in the sand. Ben couldn't fathom doing such a thing. But the Jedi had always tended toward honoring objects as relics. It was strange to think of anything belonging to his mother and uncle being elevated to such a position of prestige. 

"I think I found them," called Rey. 

She'd been searching for a while. She was hot, frustrated, and still in pain. Ben had been a lot more freaked out that he was experiencing her menstrual woes than he had shared with her. It didn't seem fair to heap his squeamishness onto her when she was already suffering. There had been women in the First Order, but it had never once occurred to him to consider what they went through as a matter of course due to their sex. 

He joined her, and she placed her hands on the sand and closed her eyes. It churned beneath her fingers, and after a few moments, two lightsabers filtered up out of the ground. She handed them both to him. As accursed hot as it was, he still needed to test them. He was giddy with excitement. 

"Spar with me?"

He handed one back to her at random. Both blades extended with a satisfying hiss, and she immediately dropped into an offensive stance. The last time they fought, they had been surrounded by a churning ocean on Kef Bir. The slippery metal had presented an extra challenge. Here, sand shifted beneath him as he moved, proving just as unstable as the wet metal had been. And of course, she had been trying to kill him then. 

It had been a little over a week since he'd faced her on Kef Bir, but his body felt the gap of months as if it had actually been dead. Fighting the Knight on Coruscant hadn't been much trouble. Rey was clever and quick, and had obviously retained her training regimen in their time apart. After a few minutes, she called a pause and swapped him blades. He had used Luke's during the first round. Leia's felt different. After a few more minutes where neither could gain the upper hand, he called a stop. 

They turned to find the Mandalorian and the kid watching them. Yoda wielded his darksaber, swinging it this way and that in mock battle. They all retracted their blades at the same time. 

"That was awesome!" said Yoda. He ran to join them. "When will I be able to do that?"

"You'll need to grow a bit more," said Rey. "But if you are anything like Master Yoda, you will be an excellent blade master." 

"Rey Skywalker," said a voice behind them. 

Ben turned to find an old woman approaching. She led a tall, reined creature. 

"Hello, grandmother," said Rey. 

"You came back," said the old woman. "Will you stay?"

"No," said Rey. 

"Who are you?" said the woman, pointing at Ben.

"Ben," he said.

"Ben who?"

"Ben Skywalker," he said. 

Rey looked up at him, eyes wide. He shrugged. "I don't know. It feels right."

"It does," she said. 

All of his adult life he had sought to honor and emulate his grandfather. But Ben had focused on the part of the man's life when he was Darth Vader. Powerful, brutal, brilliant. In this place, he was reminded of the man before he fell to the Sith. A man with a gift who struggled and excelled despite his humble beginnings.

"Are you siblings?" said the old woman. 

Nosy, Ben thought, but didn't say it out loud.

"No, grandmother," said Rey. She was trying not to laugh. "We'll leave you in peace now."

The old woman nodded, and continued on her way.

"The galaxy has had enough of multiple, powerful family lines," said Ben. "Let's keep it simple. And, my dear, I am more of a Skywalker than you."

"True."

"I'm glad you didn't keep Palpatine. I would not have taken it. I don't mind Solo, but it reminds me of my patricide. Not that I'm likely to forget it, ever, but it might help to not be reminded every time I say my name."

The look of sorrow on Rey's face made his throat tighten. Of all the sins he had committed, killing Han was the one that haunted him most. He didn't think he would ever forgive himself. And he didn't have enough courage to ask Rey if she had forgiven him. 

"Let's get this over with," said the Mandalorian, as they boarded the Razor Crest. "Can you pilot?"

Rey nudged him, and he looked at her. He'd allowed his miserable thoughts to block everything else out. "He was asking you."

Ben wished he could see the man's face. "I would be honored to pilot your ship." 

Ben didn't know what he had done to earn such trust, but he understood the significance of the gesture. Most pilots didn't allow anyone to touch their ship's controls.


	42. Beacon

Rey sat at the end of the dock, her fingertips just touching the surface of the lake. Tiny, toothless fish nibbled at them, thinking them food. Fish were fascinating creatures. She'd eaten fish on occasion whist with the Rebellion, and often on Ahch-To. But she had never seen them so close up before, or so small.

Ben strode down the dock. She recognized his purposeful steps. 

"Ready?" he said. 

"I guess. The sooner we broadcast our location, the sooner they'll come."

"Aren't you eager to return to Ahch-To?"

"I know the Mandalorian is. Little Yoda doesn't care. But it doesn't seem as pressing anymore."

He sat down behind her and scooped her into his lap. The fish scattered. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him. 

"This place has an interesting feel," said Ben. He paused, searching for better words, and ended up shaking his head.

"The Force is strong here. Like on Ahch-To."

"It feels heavy to me, not strong."

"Will they come for you here?"

"They will come for me wherever I am. Best to get it over with on our terms. I don't think you want their company on Ahch-To."

"No."

He helped her up. "Let's send a signal fire, then."

"How?"

"I think if we work together, it will be bright enough a beacon to draw their attention. Your use of the Force feeds mine."

She waited. She still wasn't clear on what exactly they were supposed to do to get these creatures' attention. 

"Let's see what the bottom of the lake looks like."

Rey blinked. "I'm not going in that lake again." 

"Let's get the water out of it, first." He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. 

She felt the tug as soon as he started. It reached for her, begging her to join. Rey watched as the water along the banks of the lake began to recede into the center. She knew the Force could do big things. It had restored life to dead bodies. She couldn't understand why this strange feat seemed so much more difficult.

"We're just lifting it out of the lake?"

"So far, I'm doing it alone."

Water in the center began to churn. 

"Straight up, like a column?"

"Rey." Ben said her name through gritted teeth. "I will follow your lead."

Right. She gripped his hand tighter and concentrated on lifting billions of litres of water. 

The air hummed with displaced energy. Rey shivered. 

Slowly, haltingly, the water rose away from the lake bed into the still air. Rey pressed at the sides of it, gathering it together into a ball. 

When the lake was empty, Ben helped her down off of the dock onto the muddy lake bed. The ground gently sloped down. They squished through it to the deepest point. Rey looked up at the enormous mass of water. Fish and turtles darted around inside the sphere, apparently not noticing that their home had shifted locations. 

"Now what?" she whispered. 

"Now we throw off enough energy to call my errant Knights' attention."

"This wasn't enough?"

Sweat trickled down Ben's face, and he looked a little gray and haggard. She doubted she looked much better. 

"Let's make sure. Let go."

And he did. Rey had about half a second to panic before the sphere of water collapsed and flooded down toward them. She was a terrible swimmer. And that water was ice cold. 

She screamed, allowing her own Force to snatch up Ben's power and create a protective bubble around them. The water collided with her barrier. Ben wrapped his arms around her and she felt him take back control of his own power and bolster her efforts. 

It was eerily silent beneath the lake. Silent, and dark. 

When Rey had regained her breath, she pulled back from Ben. "Are you insane?" 

"Probably."

"How did you know that would work?"

He shrugged. "I didn't."

Rey pressed her lips together to keep from sputtering. "I'm not a risk taker."

He gave her an amused half smile, one side of his mouth tugging up higher than the other. It looked a lot like his father's smile. "I know. But sometimes we have to take risks."

She was too tired to be angry. 

"Besides," he said. "You said no more stabbing or near-killing."

"You could have warned me."

She tested the bubble, still concentrating on keeping it in tact. She started the walk back to shore, careful to move their protection along with them. 

"No. If I had warned you, you would have prepared some brilliant defense. You would have used the Force in a measured manner. It wouldn't have created the same result."

"I don't like your teaching methods," she grumbled. 

"I don't have any methods."

"Madness is a method. Just not a good one."

"I believe you have much more control of the Force than you think," he said, his tone sobering. "You once tore apart a ship I liked from hundreds of meters away. But you were driven to that act out of sheer desperation. I don't intend to scare you into learning to use the Force. But this was not a learning experience. We needed a bright flash of energy to move throughout the galaxy. We got one."

Little Yoda scurried along the shore of the lake, chasing a frog that had not tolerated the sudden drop in his watery habitat as well as the fish. He snatched it up and shoved it in his mouth. 

"He eats them raw?" said Ben. 

They moved away from the lake and onto the grassy shore. Rey dropped down onto her back. She was shaking from the adrenaline rush, and wasn't sure her legs would support her weight any longer. 

"Do you want one, Master Ben? I can catch you one. Or maybe three or four. You're probably hungrier than me."

Ben laughed. "No thanks. Keep them for yourself." 

Little Yoda shrugged and continued his hunt.

"He didn't even comment on the entirety of the lake floating in the air," said Rey.

"That kid has seen some weird shit since he met you. I doubt this even registered."


	43. Arrival

Ben knew it was unlikely the five remaining Knights would come at once. The Mandalorian seemed to understand that as well. But they talked about it as if it were a given. Wise to plan for the worst-case and hope for the best. If they came one at a time, he could manage them by himself without risking any of the others. 

Because this, too, was his fault. His penance, his punishment, his burden. He'd worked with these men for years to turn them into lethal killing machines. The dust of his past life might eventually settle. He could conceptualize a life where the remnants of Kylo Ren weren't popping up at every turn. But thinking it possible and believing it would actually happen were two very different exercises. 

Ben walked the perimeter the Mandalorian had established with the kid. They were to engage the Knights inside of it if at all possible. It provided multiple tactical advantages. Fighting with a true soldier highlighted Ben's egregious reliance on power over planning. Had he been in charge of this mission, he would have waved a hand in the general direction of the landscape and told them to go kill their enemies. But then, he'd never had to worry about preserving the lives of his fighters. If they died, they died. 

"Papa says it's not good to think about what might go wrong," said Yoda. "He said it will make you slow and get you killed."

Ben eyed him. He wasn't sure if the kid was a budding telepath, or if he was an astute empath. The other option, which was more likely, was that Ben was just easy to read, and the kid paid attention. That helmet had kept his face hidden and allowed him to develop bad habits. 

"Your Papa is right."

"I know. He's right all the time."

Had Ben ever had that kind of blind trust in Han? He didn't think so. 

"Master Ben?"

"Hm?"

"What happens after this?"

"We go back to Ahch-To."

"But then what? Will you stay?"

A shiver ran down Ben's spine. This boy hit far too close to his churning thoughts, none of which were good. He would stay with Rey. But he sensed his loss of identity keenly. Who would he be? Now that he was no longer Kylo Ren? And could he find that new purpose on Ahch-To? Rey had stepped into her commitment to the Jedi and shaped herself to fit that role. It was made for her. But for him? He grimaced. He was no teacher.

"I'll always stay with Rey," he said after a long pause. "She is my other half. Literally, it seems."

"I like Master Rey. She's the best. I hope you stay."

Well, then. "I will find something to do with myself."

"I like you, too. You're different than Master Rey. But that's good. There are bad people in the galaxy. Master Rey knows there are bad people, but she doesn't expect them. You do."

"I've had more experience than her."

"Did you know there are nine species of frogs in the lake?"

Ben opened his mouth and then closed it again, thrown off by the conversation turn. "I didn't. Which ones taste best?"

"The small green ones with the black spots."

"And the worst?"

"A yellow and purple one. I spit it out. It burned my tongue. It was a tree frog - I like water frogs best."

"Have you ever flown the Razor Crest?"

Yoda kicked a stone into the treeline. "No. Papa says I'm too little."

"I could teach you that. If Papa lets us."

"Really?!"

Ben nodded. The kid was staring up at him with his huge, liquid-black eyes. Staring up at him like he was worth something. Like he wasn't a monster. 

"Sure. You'll have to learn sometime. We'll requisition some ships from this new government of Poe's. I'm sure they'd be glad to provide them."

"What about the Falcon? Is it yours now?"

"Well...I think it's Rey's. She'd probably let us borrow it."

"Han Solo flew the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs! That ship is the fastest."

"Maybe he did. Han Solo tended to exaggerate on occasion. I guess we could test it."

Yoda pulled out his darksaber and extended the blade. "When those bad guys come, I'm going to..." He then proceeded to swipe his darksaber this way and that in mock battle, making noises with his mouth that resembled those of the blade cutting through air. 

"Careful with that. And I'm pretty sure your dad said you were to stay invisible and not get close enough to stab anyone."

He was advising someone to be careful and listen to their father. He really had come full circle. 

"Aw! I can do it!"

"I know you can. But so can we. Sometimes you have to let the old people have a little fun, too."

Ben's head snapped up as a ship entered the atmosphere. He didn't recognize it. The Knights lived by a loose mantra of "if the dark side provided, go ahead and take it." They would have no qualms re-appropriating a ship for their own use. 

"Last one back to Rey is a rotten egg!" called Ben, as he turned and started jogging back to the place they had hidden the Razor Crest. 

Little Yoda hurried by, thankfully having retracted his blade before he took off running. Ben kept up his jog, allowing the kid to beat him.

"How many?" said Rey. 

She was standing outside of the Razor Crest. Her hair was still damp from a shower, and her clothing stuck to her still-wet skin. 

Ben raised his eyebrows and waited. 

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Three?"

"I count three as well."

"Split up," barked the Mandalorian, sliding right into commander mode. "Separate and dispatch. No games." He looked at Ben. "No playing with your food. Get it done."

"Yes, Sir," they all said. 

Three knights disembarked. Ben watched through a pair of electrobinoculars the Mandalorian had lent him. He sucked in a sharp breath when he saw what came behind them. An army of K-2SO's stomped out of the ship, in perfect lockstep. He abandoned his post, returning to the others, who seemed to have noticed the Knights' back-up. 

"How many did you count?" asked the Mandalorian.

"Two dozen?" said Rey.

"Maybe a few more than that," said Ben. "They're good at infiltration."

"I guess this means these guys are no longer yours?" said Rey. 

Ben nodded. "News of Coruscant must have gotten out."

"Plan B," said the Mandalorian, as calm as ever.


	44. Stealth

Rey studied the other three, wondering if they were all panicking as much as she was. Maybe they were just better at putting on a good face. 

"Plan?" said Ben.

The Mandalorian's extended pause made Rey squirm. Those K2s were brutal. This was proof Poe was right about there still being dark elements in the galaxy. If she lived through this, she'd make sure to tell him.

"Let's drown them," said Ben. "Rey and I will lift the water and drop it on their heads. Short them out."

"It won't work," said Rey. "They are submersible. Really, they're one of the worst possible enemies. How many can we take out before they land a killing blow?"

Ben and the Mandalorian looked at each other. "Not enough," said the Mandalorian. 

"If we could get them back onto the ship and blow it up..." said Ben.

"Difficult," said the Mandalorian. "And better done in space than here."

"The Knights sense you here?" asked Rey.

Ben nodded. "Not well, though. They can't pinpoint my location. Just a vague sense that I'm in the vicinity." 

Rey took a few deep breaths and focused. "Is it correct that I am the most familiar with mechanics and droid function?"

"I think so," said Ben. "I've been known to misidentify a calcinator." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Embarrassing. I always had a crew of mechanics available." 

"If given proper instructions, I can assist," said the Mandalorian. "But I'm better with ships."

"OK," said Rey. "Here's my plan, since it looks like our Plan B did not account for an army of killer droids."

After she was done explaining, they all stood there looking at her. Little Yoda had wrapped his arms around her leg. Ben was slowly shaking his head. The Mandalorian's hand was on his weapon. They didn't like it. It didn't matter. No one else had a better idea.

"Well," said Rey. "Get going. It will be easier with Ben gone."

Little Yoda hugged his father. Ben kissed Rey. Then the two men, big, strong, and completely useless in stealth missions, boarded the Razor Crest and left the planet. 

"OK, buddy," said Rey. "It's just us now." 

At the sound of the ship exiting the atmosphere, the Knights began shouting orders at the K2s. They scattered, just as Rey had hoped they would. She hoisted Little Yoda on her back, and he Cloaked them. 

Rey focused on the task at hand. If she focused on how much danger she was in, or how much danger Little Yoda was in, she thought she might crumple into a useless heap and shake. Focus on the job. Just the job. Her internal talk grounded her, and she began to move on silent feet through the forest toward the nearest droid. 

They sneaked up behind it. Rey had studied the schematics of all kinds of droids. She was good at repairing them. Most had a kill switch. She'd never worked on a K2. Usually, the deadlier the droid, the more likely there was to be a kill switch. The trick was getting to it. She had no idea where it was. 

Little Yoda tightened his grip around her neck. She'd never seen actual fear in him before. She wasn't sure if this was fear, or excitement. Probably the latter. 

She crept up behind the droid, who had gone still. Carefully, she extended her hand, willing it not to shake. There were several columns of buttons, two antennae, and a circular panel. Carefully she, reached beneath the droid's jaw on the right side. There should be a button there...

The droid whipped its head around, and Rey dropped to the ground and turned her back away from the droid, hoping Little Yoda had the good sense to hold on tight. The K2 scanned the forest behind it. 

Don't step on me, don't step on me, don't step on me! Rey held her breath. The droid finally turned its head back around and continued to move forward, scanning the forest.

Thankfully, Little Yoda was still on her back. When her heart rate had calmed, she whispered, "You OK?"

Little Yoda patted her head, and she took that for assent. 

"Bad first try," said Rey.

"Bad would be us dead."

"True. I think I know where the kill switch is. Let's follow it."

Though she trusted Little Yoda's Cloaking, she stayed behind trees and rocks wherever possible. They caught up with the droid at the top of a rocky overlook. Hundreds of metres below lay a jagged ravine. Perfect.

"Let's shove it," whispered Little Yoda.

"I'm not strong enough. It would be like pushing a boulder."

Rey was so, so thankful they had extensively tested the Cloaking on Ahch-To. The fact that Little Yoda could hide them from Droid scans was invaluable. 

Willing her trembling hands to still, Rey reached forward and slipped her fingers beneath the K2's jaw. This was a lot like the exercises Leia had her practice with the Force. Find the thing you cannot see. She depressed the tiny button, and jumped back in case she had made a mistake. Thankfully, the panel on the K2's back went dark. 

"We need to short it out so the Knights don't come along and turn it back on," said Rey. 

"Push it over!" said Little Yoda. The glee in his voice disturbed her. Boys. 

Rey put her hand on the K2's back, and shoved. It was as stable as a ever. Of course, the Force could move things, too. Rey reached down inside of herself and shoved. She'd never used the Push before, but the K2 tumbled over the edge, crashing on the rocks below and breaking into unrecoverable pieces. 

"That was lucky," said Rey. "We aren't going to be able to get them all up against this cliff before we deactivate them."

"That was awesome!" said Little Yoda. 

"Only twenty-something more to go," said Rey. "Let's get out of here before his friends come poking around to see what happened."


	45. Turnabout

Rey pressed her thumbnail into her opposite forearm, hard enough to cause a bruise. She'd make tally marks for both herself, and Ben and the Mandalorian. 

Rey found a low cave and she and Little Yoda crawled inside. "Drop the Cloak for a while and rest."

Little Yoda grinned from ear to ear. "We got one! Let's do it again."

"Soon. Let me catch my breath." 

The next K2 they encountered was not standing along the cliff's edge. It was scanning the forest on the far north side of the lake. Rey crept up behind it and disabled it with confident fingers. Since she had shoved the last one off the cliff, permanently disabling it hadn't been an issue.

"What do you think?" she asked Little Yoda.

"Fry it," he promptly replied. 

It was inelegant, but effective. Her Lightning surged into the disabled droid, fusing the wiring running from its head to its body. It might be salvageable with a lot of effort and spare parts. These Knights wouldn't bother with it. 

She created another bruise-tally on her forearm, and vacated the area before another droid passed by and noticed its burnt plastic smelling fellow. 

"We should stick to ones farther out," said Rey. "If they find these dead ones, they'll know something is up and it will make our job much harder." 

"I saw one on the other side of the lake."

Rey skirted around the lake, careful to keep away from the soft earth of the banks. Hiding heat imprints and actual footprints was two completely different things for Little Yoda. 

They had to wait for the third K2 to move out of the dense trees he was searching. There simply wasn't enough room for them to creep up behind it. When it finally did, Rey was sure she had given them away by stepping on a dry twig. The K2 snapped it's head around, scanning over and over the place where she stood frozen, afraid to breathe or blink or even think about noise. Little Yoda held on tight. 

When the K2 finally gave up and moved forward, Rey made quick work of disabling it. 

"Can I kill this one?" asked Little Yoda.

"Sure. Make it quick."

The darksaber blade extended out, and Little Yoda swiped off the creatures head. 

"How many ideas do you have for killing them?" 

"We should do it a different way each time. That way the Knights will be confused. Maybe it will scare them into leaving."

"You're a little creepy sometimes, you know?"

He giggled and retracted his blade. Rey made another tally mark, and they continued. 

They managed to "kill" 4 more K2s before dark. The last one was poking around the cave they had rested in earlier. They had decided to sleep there that night. They hadn't seen any other K2s in the area. Rey hit its kill switch, and then paused. 

"What if we tried something?" she said, talking more to herself.

"We're not killing it?"

"We might have to. Be ready. I just want to see if I can get at it's control panel."

Blessed universe, the droid had a small toolkit inside its chest panel. While Little Yoda practiced focusing light, Rey tried to untangle the mess of commands. The Knights must have been in a hurry, because the droid was not well programmed. Rey thought hard about what to do with it. 

How much longer would these Knights stay on this planet? They hadn't found Ben, and they had been steadily losing assets. They must know something was happening to their K2s. 

"Let's give them a taste of their own medicine," said Rey. Turnabout was fair play.

Little Yoda nodded. 

Rey re-programmed the droid, instructed Little Yoda to Cloak them, just in case she'd made a mistake, and reactivated it. The K2 stood, regained its bearings, and stomped off back toward the Knight's ship. 

"Can we follow it?" asked Little Yoda. 

"It's too dark. We'll go out as soon as we can see again in the morning and find out what they're doing. By then, they'll have figured out they've lost some of their fighters."

The next morning, Little Yoda woke her as soon as the first blush of pink was visible on the horizon. "Come on! Let's go see what they're doing!"

Rey groaned and sat up, knuckling her lower back. The rock she had been using as a pillow and the rock she had used as a bed left much to be desired. Poor Ben, sleeping in that soft bed aboard the Razor Crest and waking up feeling like she did. 

They heard the Knights before they saw them. They were roaring at the K2s, which Rey found very funny. As if they were human operatives. She slowly made her way nearer their camp. 

The Knights had the remaining K2s lined up, and were demanding to know the whereabouts of the others. After a heated debate, where the Knights loudly proclaimed that Kylo Ren had done this, they boarded their ship and departed, leaving a handful of soldiers behind to continue their search. 

Rey and Little Yoda watched as the ship left the atmosphere. They moved to disable the closest K2, and waited. 

Minutes later, a bright burst of light was followed by debris hurtling back down from space. 

"We just killed three men," said Rey. Though it was her people or them, it still saddened her. 

"We didn't kill them," said Little Yoda. "That droid did."

"Let's take care of the rest of these they left before your father and Ben come back. They could still do a lot of damage."

Skipping the killing step, she and Little Yoda hurriedly managed to engage the kill switch on the ones the Knights had left. They had just finished shutting down the last one, which had been distracted by the Razor Crest's reappearance. 

Ben and the Mandalorian exited with caution, weapons held high. 

"All disabled?" called Ben, lightsaber extended. 

"It's safe," called Little Yoda. "Don't worry. We did all the work." 

Rey laughed at the annoyed expression on Ben's face. Oh how far he had fallen from the mighty Kylo Ren, allowing himself to be saved by a brand new, female Jedi and a child.


	46. A Second Chance

A piece of debris from the exploded ship lay a dozen metres away. Too close for comfort. Ben collected Rey into his arms and squeezed her until she squeaked. 

"You did well," he said, burying his face in her hair. 

"I had excellent assistance," she said. 

"How did you manage that?" he asked, putting her down and motioning to the smoldering chunk of the Knights' ship.

"Rey was awesome!" said the kid. "She opened up one of those droids, and," he stopped talking, and wiggled his fingers around, "and then it did what she said!" 

Rey pressed her lips together in a failed attempt to prevent a smile. "I wiped its kill command," Rey explained. "And then I reprogrammed it to self-destruct as soon as it entered space." 

"They were killed by their own stupidity, then," said Ben. 

"They were killed by me," she clarified. 

Ben squinted at her, unsure if he had misunderstood. She looked defeated. "You knew we had to kill them," he said quietly. 

She shrugged. "I don't like killing. Not even bad people. I just hoped it would end after the First Order was defeated."

The Mandalorian had joined them. "It is good to dislike bloodshed," he said. "But we don't have the luxury of such high ideals. Not in this galaxy." 

Ben had decided a while ago that the Mandalorian was someone he could like. In time. Ben hadn't liked very many people. He'd developed grudging respect for those who were talented, but he hadn't liked them. The kid though - that might take some work. 

"What about the last one?" said Rey.

"Let's give him a chance," said Ben. 

The words coming out of his mouth felt wrong. The shape of them took effort to push out. A chance? He didn't think he'd ever considered giving anyone a chance in his entire life. Even before he'd fully turned. 

"Why?" asked the Mandalorian.

"He didn't come with the others," said Ben. "It could be unrelated. He may not have been with them at all. The one on Coruscant came alone. But this one, might, just might, have a chance at redemption." 

"We could save him!" said the kid.

"I thought you wanted to kill them all?" said Ben.

"I like killing droids," said the kid. "Things that aren't living."

"If we can avoid killing these droids," said the Mandalorian, "I can think of many uses for reprogrammed K2s." 

"It will take me a while to fix them," said Rey. "I better start." 

Ben looked up at the afternoon sky. Something had pricked his awareness. He focused, and located the man in the ship rapidly approaching the planet.

"Time to deal with number six," said Ben. "Will you all head into the Razor Crest and wait for me? I should face him alone."

He wanted them out of the way and in a safe place. Not that Rey was safe if he was injured, but at least he wouldn't have to worry about both of them. And if he was honest, the kid's statement about Ben not doing any work had rankled. He needed to regain a bit of his lost pride. 

The Mandalorian nodded, motioned for his son to follow, and left without question. Rey glanced at the sky, and then fixed him with a searching stare. What would he do if she refused? He knew he would defer to her. She was the leader now. 

"Be careful," she said. And she turned and walked away. 

Ben exhaled in relief. 

Kuruk, the pilot and unmatched marksman, landed within visual range and disembarked. Each death of the Ren had rippled out through the galaxy. Not as strongly as with Jedi deaths, but Kuruk surely knew of the death of his comrades. This Knight was different from the others. He was a loner. It was right that he came alone now, too.

Ben didn't draw a weapon. He stood and waited for the other man to draw near. Kuruk stopped within speaking distance. His blaster hung on his back. Within the space of a blink he would engage. 

"We did not meet on Exegol," said Ben. "Why?"

For some unknown reason, he had only faced some of the Knights the day Palpatine died. Ben still couldn't figure out how Palpatine had convinced them to turn on him, or why some of them hadn't been there.

The Knight flexed his fingers into a fist and relaxed them. Then he bowed. "I did not wish to fight you."

"Why?" said Ben.

"I pledged myself to protect you," said Kuruk. "And I did not like that wrinkled old demon man."

Ben laughed. His nervousness eased a bit more. 'Wrinkled old demon man' was the most perfect description of Palpatine he had ever heard.

"The Jedi killed him," said Ben.

Kuruk nodded. "I saw."

"Why are you here?"

"I came to you. I came to find out if you still retain the shadow. The demon man said you did not."

"And?"

"He was wrong."

Ben took a steadying breath. "He was."

"My brethren are dead. The shadow in you is weak now."

"It will grow weaker still. If I asked you to lay down your weapon and retire your service to me, would you consider?"

Ben held his breath. Kuruk removed his blaster from his back and held it. The man would know the minute Ben used the Force, even if just to shield himself. And his weapon would be faster. Kuruk had always been sensitive to the Force. Ben had been in too many high risk situations lately for his liking. 

"If you ask it, my lord, I will obey you. Even in this." 

Kuruk knelt down and placed his blaster on the ground. He tugged his helmet off and it joined the weapon. 

"Do no more harm. I don't care where you go. But don't ever let me see you again."

Kuruk's hair was nearly white, and his face careworn. He squinted into the bright sunshine. Ben remembered how hard it had been to adjust to living without the mask.

Then Kuruk returned to his ship and departed.


	47. Home

The Mandalorian had persuaded Rey thrice to give Ben time. She paced. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she exited the Razor Crest. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to see. Ben hadn't been hurt, or she would have felt it. 

She found Ben standing over a weapon and a helmet. There was no sign of the Knight. Ben didn't look up when she approached. 

"Are you OK?" She touched his arm, and he pulled her against him. 

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"Against my better judgement, I let him walk away."

"Why?" She wasn't upset that he had chosen this course, just curious.

"It didn't seem right. I hope I don't regret it later."

"You're a good man, Ben Skywalker."

Ben laughed, though it was harsh and incredulous. "You confuse me with another."

She grabbed his face in both hands and forced him to meet her eyes. "I do not. I mean exactly what I said."

He pressed his lips together, and Rey was shocked to see his eyes brighten. No tears fell, but it looked like he was working to keep it that way.

She softened her grip on his face and brushed the hair away from his forehead. "I've known you as Ben for much longer than you have. I know you are good. And I know you will continue to work to stay that way."

"I don't have the faith you do."

"I'll have faith for you until you find some of your own."

She wrapped her arms around his middle and pulled him close. 

"What about the K2s?" said Little Yoda. 

Rey smiled and released Ben. He growled, but let her go. 

"Let me show you how to do it," she said. 

For the rest of the afternoon, Little Yoda sat with her and learned how to do basic reprogramming. 

"We can't be wrong," said Rey. "If we make a mistake, they'll attack us when we wake them."

The Mandalorian also listened in on her lesson, but he didn't seem very invested in the process. 

"Do you really have room for these on board?" asked Rey. She eyed the Razor Crest skeptically. 

"I do," said the Mandalorian. "You take out their murder orders, and I'll find them a place on board."

By the next evening, the K2s were all completely wiped and reset to follow basic verbal commands. 

"We'll do a better job at home," said Rey. 

Home? Had she ever had a home? Her AT-AT on Jakku hadn't been a home. It had been a safe place, a shelter. The Resistance moved so often that she never fully adjusted to any one location. But Ahch-To? Maybe. Maybe with Ben and the Mandalorian and Little Yoda, it would be a home. Her first. 

"Let's go home," said Ben. 

Little Yoda's K2 walked toward the ship on his hands. "I did it!"

"He's brilliant," said Rey. She hadn't taught him those commands. She didn't even know they were possible. 

"And a little demented," said Ben. "That poor droid."

"It won't be boring," said Rey. 

A surprise awaited them when they arrived home. Finn and Rose had arrived a few days before, and Rose was busy making one of the huts into a little home for them. Finn sat with C-3PO, and had already made good progress on learning to communicate with the Caretakers. Rey threw in the towel on that one. She had plenty to do. There was no reason she couldn't delegate some tasks to those better suited to succeed. 

Rey stuck her head inside the door of Rose's hut, and received a shouted, "Rey!" and a tight hug in welcome. "We were so worried about you! Finn said you'd be fine, but you never know. I'm so glad you're back." 

"Me, too," said Rey. 

"How are things going with those Knights of Ren?" asked Rose. 

"Sorry about the one who crashed your wedding," said Rey. "They're all taken care of now."

"Oh good," said Rose. "When will you start teaching Finn? I can't wait to see what you guys can do! It's going to be so great."

Rey had never had a cheerleader, either. Now she had a cheerleader living at her home. Leia had been supportive and encouraging, but nothing matched Rose's genuine excitement. 

When Rey returned to her hut, she found Finn and Ben outside, wrestling a huge mattress through the front door. 

"Where did that come from?" said Rey.

"Poe sent it for you," said Finn. 

"Poe is very considerate," said Ben. "That little cot would not do." 

Her little cot now sat outside of the hut. It did look small and sad compared to the huge mattress. 

"I don't think it's going to work," said Rey.

"Oh yes it is," said Ben. "We're going to make it work. I don't like the way you feel when you haven't slept well."

"How far does this weird sharing thing go?" said Finn. 

Rey opened her mouth to speak, but Finn dropped his end of the mattress and threw up his hands. "Forget I said that! I regret my actions. I do NOT want to know anything about it. Never mind. I forgot I can't just ask you two normal questions like normal people."

"Right now it's just pain," said Ben, an evil grin on his face. "But I have high hopes that it will develop further into other physical experiences. Imagine the possibilities." 

Finn picked up his end of the mattress and shoved so hard Ben disappeared through the doorway. 

"I can't stand him," said Finn.

"I know," said Rey. "I think you'll be the best of friends. In time."

"Master Rey?" called C-3PO. "May I be of any assistance? I'm told by the little one that there are droids in need of new programming. I thought I could start them on the task of clearing rocks off of the most used paths on the island."

"On their hands," said Little Yoda, stepping out from behind him. "Can you walk on your hands, C?" 

"Like I told you, Master Yoda, I am called C-3PO. And no, I cannot walk on my hands."

"Are you sure?" said Rey. "The K2 didn't know it could either until recently."

"Oh, my," said C-3PO. "I think I hear Mistress Rose calling." He turned toward Rose's hut. "Ah, yes. She is calling for me. Excuse me." He beelined for the cottage, leaving Little Yoda with Rey. 

"This is gonna be great," said Little Yoda.

"Yes, it is."


	48. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sharing this story with me! :) I hope you liked it. I enjoyed writing it, and I greatly enjoyed your feedback. I was aiming for a novella, and so here we shall end. This story brings to mind so many others I would love to explore. Now, I am stepping away from fanfic for a while and working on another story. I love these characters, and I love Star Wars. This story has helped me recover from the disappointment of the end of TROS. 
> 
> May the Force be with you.

Ahch-To became the galaxy's only training school for Force-sensitive children. The Skywalker School raised a new kind of Jedi. Just as Master Yoda had predicted, children arrived from all over the galaxy for training. Poe had a hand in it, and Rey was thankful for his trust. Those gifted with the Force were trained, and returned to their families and communities. They no longer cloistered themselves and attempted to act in the best interest of the Force throughout the galaxy. 

Rey Skywalker and her husband Ben Skywalker ran the school. The children who came and went viewed them as surrogate parents. They were exacting teachers, and demanded excellence, but they invested deeply in their students and in return, they sent Force users into the galaxy who understood their value, and their responsibilities. The students may have considered dabbling in the dark side. After all, exploring power is natural. But none ever strayed from the light.

No more Palpatine, Solo, or Skywalker heirs appeared. Rey knew they would never really know for sure if they had cousins out there somewhere. She hoped they didn't.

Ben Skywalker did not touch the dark side again. He thought about it, sometimes. Fleeting thoughts that came and went as time progressed. Temptations. But he resisted. And as he said no, over and over, no became easier.

Ben and Rey had three children. Ben did not die during childbirth, but he thought he might a couple of times. Their two sons were absolutely, unarguably, without one bit of Force sensitivity. 

"That's Han's fault," said Ben. 

Rey laughed. She was delighted with their children, whether they could use the Force or not. 

Their daughter, the youngest, named Leia, had inherited both of their abilities. Rey was terrified for Leia's future in the same proportion that Ben was delighted. The parents managed to balance each other and treat their daughter with gentle care, just as they did all of the other Force-sensitive children they were entrusted to teach and release to find their own paths. 

"It's the men in the Skywalker line who go bad," said Ben. 

Rey agreed, but it didn't allay her fears completely. "I can only do what I can do. I cannot control the future." She had learned that lesson long ago. Her single foray into changing the future had proven to her just how fragile and flexible it really was. 

Though older than any of the residents of Ahch-To by decades, Little Yoda learned with the other children. He developed deep, lasting friendships and shared his love of tricks with his peers. Rey spent plenty of time teaching her students how to reprogram K2s as a result of Yoda's games. They found several talented mechanics through the process, and the new galactic government welcomed the expertise with open arms. 

Little Yoda became Yoda, and then Master Yoda. It felt deeply right to Rey that this boy continue the work the Ghosts had started when they first began to teach him as a child.

The Mandalorian lived a long, happy life. Even after death, Yoda refused to remove the man's helmet. "This is The Way." He was interned deep in the core of Ahch-To, where good men and women for millennia before had been laid to rest. He had never returned to his people, and Rey knew that the past Jedi would approve of such a noble soul joining them in his final rest. 

Finn and Rose came and went. Finn never developed more than a passable use of the Force. Rey suspected it just wasn't strong in him to begin with. Had he learned as a child, it may have been different. They had a child, a boy named William, who followed Leia around like a lovesick puppy. William, "uses the Force like a Skywalker," as Ben said. Which annoyed Finn. 

Finn and Ben never became friends. But they stopped being enemies, which made Rey happy. 

Poe led the galaxy in a continued state of peace. The last Rey heard, Zorii had finally agreed to come to Coruscant. Rey hoped they could work it out. 

The galaxy took a deep breath and relaxed, enjoying a lasting peace it had not seen in a very, very long time.


End file.
